P^^B 

I 


IETRUEORIG 
MORMON  POLYGAMY 


!     ! 


I 


iiw 


HOOK 

llAJV/lk^ 


111 


SSSIHBZE, 


MormOTi  Propliet, 


The  True 

Origin  of  Mormon 

Polygamy 


By 

CHARLES  A.  SHOOK 


If  Joseph  Smith  ever  taught  or  practiced  the  doc- 
trine of  polygamy,  we  ask,  When  ?  Where  ?  or  by 
what  testimony  can  he  be  thus  convicted  ?  And  until 
these  interrogatories  are  properly  answered,  we  shall 
feel  justified  in  flaunting  back  the  statement  that  he 
taught  or  practiced  polygamy  in  the  face  of  his  ac- 
cusers as  an  unmitigated  slander  and  villainous  perse- 
cution.— Elder  Willard  J.  Smith. 


CINCINNATI: 

The  Standard  Publishing  Company 
1914 


Copyright,  1914 

The  Standard  Publishing  Company 
Cincinnati,  O. 


Bancroft  Library        -|-i  •« 

Foreword 

THE  first  edition  of  "The  True  Origin  of  Mormon  Polyg- 
amy" was  published  in  the  year  1910.  This  edition 
being  disposed  df,  the  second  is  now  presented  to  the  public. 

At  the  time  that  this  book  was  first  written,  the  author 
had  at  hand  but  few  of  the  original  works  of  the  Mormon 
Church,  but,  since  its  appearance,  through  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  Z.  H.  Gurley,  of  Canton,  Missouri,  now  deceased,  and 
Hon.  A.  T.  Schroeder,  of  Cos  Cob,  Connecticut,  he  has  had 
access  to  nearly  all  of  the  old  literature  of  Mormonisni, 
from  which  he  has  made  a  number  of  extracts  both  for  the 
body  of  the  work  and  also  for  a  large  number  of  footnotes 
which  confirm  what  has  already  been  written. 

To  the  Josephite  Mormon  who  may  chance  to  read  this 
production,  we  simply  say :  Consult  your  own  early  litera- 
ture and  you  will  find  that  what  the  author  has  written  is 
true.  The  celebrated  Berrien  collection  of  Mormon  books, 
pamphlets  and  papers  in  New  York  City  and  the  Schroeder 
collection  in  the  State  Historical  Building  at  Madison,  Wis- 
consin, with  the  files  of  the  Sangamo  Journal  at  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  will  afford  you  the  facilities  to  ascertain  what 
the  true  character  of  things  was  at  Nauvoo  between  the 
years  1839  and  1844. 

In  putting  this  book  out,  our  intention  is  not  simply  to 
expose  the  foibles  of  Joseph  Smith  as  a  mere  man.  If  he 
had  made  no  extraordinary  claims,  his  mistakes  would  have 
been  buried  long  ago,  as  the  mistakes  of  thousands  of  men 
have  been.  But,  when  his  followers  present  him  to  the 
world  as  a  prophet  and  religious  teacher,  so  immaculate  in 
life  that  even  God  could  use  him  as  his  monthpiece,  it  is 
quite  another  thing,  and  they  must  answer  for  his  misdeeds 
before  an  intelligent  and  virtuous  public.  It  will  not  do  for 
them  to  hide  behind  the  plea  that  the  charges  made  are 
simply  "a  tissue  of  lies"  or  cringe  beneath  the  mantle  of 


iv  FOREWORD 

affected  innocence.  The  stain  of  sin  is  upon  the  garment! 
of  Mormonism,  and  the  world  at  large  believes  that  the  hand 
of  Joseph  Smith  placed  it  there.  So,  the  evasive  cry  of  "per- 
secution" will  not  satisfy  the  ears  of  the  enlightened  people 
of  this  generation  nor  draw  out  their  sympathy  when  boldly 
confronting  them  are  the  evidences  which  go  to  prove  that 
he  was  the  author  and  originator  of  that  polygamic  system 
which  has  been  one  of  the  foulest  blots  upon  our  national 
escutcheon.  Therefore,  the  duty  that  plainly  confronts  the 
Reorganized  Church  is  to  meet  the  claims  presented  and 
overthrow  them,  if  they  can. 

To  the  fact  that  the  members  of  the  Reorganized  Church 
are  usually  good  and  law-abiding  citizens,  I  cheerfully  bear 
witness.  They  will  compare  favorably  with  the  members  of 
other  churches,  but  they  are  no  better.  As  I  make  this 
acknowledgment,  let  no  man  put  on  a  shoe  that  does  not  fit 
him.  What  has  been  written  is  in  respect  to  the  evil  de- 
signs and  practices  of  the  original  leaders,  and  does  not 
apply  to  the  rank  and  file  to-day.  No  one,  who  has  studied 
the  history  of  the  Mormon  movement,  will  for  one  moment 
believe  that  there  is  any  more  connection  between  the  Jo- 
sephite  and  Brighamite  Churches  than  there  is  between  the 
Presbyterian  and  the  Roman  Catholic.  The  former  have 
fought  their  polygamic  brethren  with  a  zeal  that  would  be 
commendable  if  it  were  consistent.  But,  while  they  strongly 
oppose  polygamy  now,  they  own  and  acknowledge  as  prophet 
a  man  who  has  confessed  to  being  the  father  of  the  cele- 
brated "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage,"  which  has  been 
the  basis  of  the  doctrine  of  the  plurality  of  wives  in  Utah. 
(See  Millennial  Star,  xxi.  715). 

In  closing,  we  wish  to  say  a  word  in  our  own  defense. 
The  charge  has  been  made  that  this  book  has  been  written 
that  the  author  might  "realize  a  little  pecuniary  profit"  from 
its  sale.  This  charge  is  not  true.  Not  one  cent  of  profit  or 
royalty  will  find  its  way  into  his  pocket.  It  is  put  out  solely 
in  the  interest  of  truth.  CHARLES  A.  SHOOK. 

EDDYVILLE,  NEBRASKA,  November  i,  1913. 


[lustrations 


PAGE 

LIEUT.-GEN.  JOSEPH  SMITH Frontispiece 

THE  ASSASSINATION  OF  SMITH 5 

THE  MORMON  TEMPLE  AT  NAUVOO 46 

DR.  JOHN  C  BENNETT 62 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG 107 

ORSON    PRATT 130 

JAMES  J.  STRANG 199 


Table    of    Contents 


CHAPTER   I.  PAGE 

The  Rise  and  Progress  of  Mormonism— The  Differences 
Between  the  Brighamite  and  Josephite  Churches — The 
Book  of  Mormon  on  Polygamy I 

CHAPTER    II. 

The  Reputation  of  the  Smiths  at  Palmyra — The  Mormon 
Attempt  to  Exonerate  Them — First  Intimations  of 
Polygamy  17 

CHAPTER   III. 

The  Bennett  Expose — Bennett  Unites  with  the  Mormons — 
Bennett  Apostatizes  and  Exposes  Joseph  Smith — The 
Denials  of  the  Mormon  Church  to  Bennett's  Charges — 
Bennett's  Charges  Sustained 46 

CHAPTER   IV. 

The  Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage — Preparation  of  the 
People  for  the  Revelation — How  the  Revelation  Came 
to  be  Written — The  Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage — 
Proof  that  the  Revelation  Came  from  Joseph  Smith 78 

CHAPTER   V. 

The  Nauvoo  Expositor — The  Events  Leading  up  to  Smith's 
Assassination — The  Charges  of  the  Expositor — The 
Charges  of  the  Expositor  Sustained 103 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Direct  Evidence  Connecting  Joseph  Smith  with  Polygamy- 
Statements  and  Affidavits — Certain  Objections  to  These 

Statements  and  Affidavits  Considered 121 

vii 


viii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Josephite  Admissions — Isaac  Sheen — William  Marks — J.  W. 

Briggs — W.  W.  Blair — The  Robinsons — Justus  Morse..  149 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Mormon  Denials  Examined — The  Denials  of  Bennett's 
Charges — The  Denials  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith — 
The  Denials  of  the  Charges  of  Sidney  Rigdon — The  De- 
nial of  John  Taylor — The  Purported  Denials  of  Emma 
Smith  1/2 

CHAPTER   IX. 

The  Factions  and  Polygamy— The  Legal  Battle  Over  Polyg- 
amy— Theoretical  Polygamy — Practical  Polygamy 193 


The   True   Origin   of  Mor- 
mon Polygamy 


CHAPTER    I. 

The  Rise  and  Progress  of  Mormonism — The  Differences  Be- 
tween the  Brighamite  and  Josephite  Churches — The  Book  of 
Mormon  on  Polygamy. 

Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  "Prophet,"  was  born  in 
the  village  of  Sharon,  Windsor  County,  Vermont,  De- 
cember 23,  1805.  He  was  the  fourth  of  ten  children  and 
was  reared  in  ignorance,  poverty,  indolence  and  super- 
stition. In  his  tenth  year,  the  family  removed  to  Palmyra, 
Ontario  County,  New  York,  four  years  afterwards  re- 
moving to  Manchester,  in  the  same  county,  where  his 
career  as  a  prophet  began. 

When  Joseph  was  in  his  fifteenth  year,  according  to 
his  own  account,  he  received  his  first  religious  impres- 
sions. The  three  churches  of  his  town,  the  Methodist, 
Presbyterian  and  Baptist,  had  held  long  protracted  meet- 
ings and  his  feelings  were  considerably  wrought  upon, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  was  perplexed  to  know  just 
which  of  the  churches  to  join.  He  finally  decided  to 
make  the  matter  a  subject  of  prayer,  and  so,  retiring  to 
the  forest,  he  called  upon  the  Lord,  stating  his  desires  and 
perplexities.  His  prayer  was  soon  answered  by  the 
appearance  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  the  former  of 


2  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

whom  told  him  that  he  must  unite  with  none  of  the 
existing  sects,  as  they  were  all  wrong  and  their  professors 
all  corrupt. 

On  the  2  ist  of  September,  1823,  he  had  another 
vision,  in  which  the  angel  Moroni  appeared  and  revealed 
to  him  the  exact  spot  where  a  set  of  plates  lay  buried 
on  which  was  engraved,  in  the  "Reformed  Egyptian" 
language,  the  history  of  ancient  America.  The  following 
day,  he  repaired  to  the  spot,  which  was  on  a  hill  near 
the  village  of  Manchester,  where  he  found  them  as 
described,  in  a  stone  box  buried  underneath  a  large  rock. 
After  viewing  the  plates,  he  was  commanded  to  go  his 
way,  being  informed  that  the  time  had  not  yet  come 
for  bringing  them  forth. 

On  the  i8th  of  January,  1827,  he  eloped  with  Miss 
Emma  Hale,  of  Harmony,  Susquehanna  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  married  to  her  at  the  house  of  Squire  Tar- 
bill,  of  South  Bainbridge,  Chenango  County,  New  York. 
On  September  22  of  the  same  year,  the  Nephite  records 
were  given  into  his  hands  and,  within  the  following 
two  years,  were  translated  by  the  power  of  God  through 
the  Urim  and  Thummim,  two  transparent  stones  set 
in  bows  which  he  had  found  with  them.  The  Book 
of  Mormon  was  finally  completed,  was  copyrighted 
June  n,  1829,  and  was  issued  in  book  form  early  in 
1830. 

All  the  time  that  Smith  was  pretending  to  translate 
the  plates,  he  and  his  followers  were  busy  teaching  their 
peculiar  doctrines,  and,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1830,  he 
organized  the  so-called  "Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints"  at  Fayette,  Seneca  County,  New  York,  with 
six  members,  himself  included.  From  this  time  on,  the 
church  continued  to  grow  until  at  the  time  of  Smith's 
death  in  1844,  according  to  Mormon  statistics,  there  were 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  3 

two  hundred  thousand  Mormons  throughout  the  world.1 
In  November,  1830,  Sidney  Rigdon,  a  Disciple  minis- 
ter at  Mentor,  O.,  who  had  heretofore  played  his  part  in 
the  background,  came  out  openly  with  a  large  part  of 
his  congregation  and  united  with  the  Mormons.  Rigdon 
was  an  important  accession  to  the  Mormon  ministerial 
force,  and  Smith  and  his  family,  early  in  1831,  removed 
to  his  vicinity  and  settled  at  Kirtland,  which  became  the 
capital  of  the  new  Mormon  kingdom.  The  faithful  from 
the  surrounding  country  began  to  gather  there,  and  in 
July,  1833,  the  corner-stone  of  an  imposing  temple  was 
laid,  which  was  completed  and  dedicated  with  grand 
ceremonies  in  March,  1836. 

Early  in  June,  1831,  a  revelation  was  received  in 
which  Joseph  and  certain  of  his  elders  were  commanded 
to  assemble  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  the  "land  of  Zion." 
In  company  with  Rigdon  and  several  others,  he  left 
Kirtland  on  the  iQth  of  June,  and,  in  the  middle  of  the 
following  July,  reached  Independence,  twelve  miles  west 
of  which,  on  August  2,  the  "land  of  Zion"  was  dedicated 
and  the  foundations  of  a  city  were  laid. 

From  this  time  on,  Kirtland  and  Zion  were  the  cen- 
ters from  which  Mormon  doctrine  and  influence  radiated. 
But  in  neither  of  these  localities  were  the  Mormons 
on  good  terms  with  their  Gentile  neighbors,  who  ac- 
cused them  of  various  crimes  and  who  were  in  turn 


1  These  are  Josephite  figures,  based  upon  certain  statements  of  Joseph 
Smith.  The  Brighamites  are  much  more  modest  in  their  estimate  of  the 
size  of  the  church  at  that  time.  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr.,  in  his  "Origin 
of  the  'Reorganized'  Church,"  gives  the  number  of  Mormons  in  Nauvoo 
and  vicinity  as  twenty  thousand,  which,  he  says,  was  the  "great  bulk  of 
the  saints"  in  the  United  States.  Adding  to  this  the  number  of  Mormons 
in  the  British  Isles  in  1844,  which  was  7,797,  we  have  a  total  of  less 
than  thirty  thousand.  As  the  larger  part  of  the  church  was  found  in 
these  two  countries,  I  very  much  doubt  if  there  were  more  than  forty 
thousand  of  Smith's  followers  in  the  world  at  the  time  of  his  assassination. 


4  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

denounced  as  the  enemies  of  the  Lord.  Things  reached 
a  climax  at  Kirtland  in  January,  1838,  when,  the  Kirtland 
"Safety  Bank"  having  failed,  Joseph  and  his  counselor, 
Rigdon,  were  forced  to  flee  under  cover  of  night  in 
order  to  escape  the  "persecutions"  of  their  angry  cred- 
itors. In  Missouri,  trouble  between  the  old  settlers  and 
the  Mormons  arose  when  the  latter  began1  to  gather 
there,  and  continued  until  they  were  finally  driven  from 
the  State  by  order  of  Governor  Boggs  in  1839. 

After  their  expulsion  from  Missouri,  the  Mormons 
found  a  welcome  and  a  home  in  Illinois  and  soon  began 
the  erection  of  a  city  which  they  named  "Nauvoo."  It 
was  here  that  Smith  made  his  most  lavish  display.  Be- 
tween the  years  1839  and  1844,  he  passed  from  a  hunted 
fugitive,  fleeing  from  the  vengeance  of  Missouri,  to  an 
earthly  potentate  courted  and  flattered  by  the  politicians 
of  Illinois.  He  had  been  a  prophet,  he  now  became 
mayor  of  Nauvoo,  a  king  to  reign  over  the  house  of 
Israel  forever,  lieutenant-general  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion, 
and,  to  cap  the  climax  of  his  absurd  pretensions,  candi- 
date for  President  of  the  United  States  on  an  indepen- 
dent ticket! 

But,  like  many  another  impostor,  his  career  came  to 
an  abrupt  end.  He  had  been  accused  of  both  immoral 
and  illegal  conduct  in  New  York,  Ohio  and  Missouri, 
but  in  all  these  States  he  had  escaped  justice.  This  made 
him  bolder  in  his  arrogant  and  lawless  conduct  and  he 

1  "I  went  on  to  prove  that  the  whole  persecution  from  beginning  to 
end  was  grounded  on  our  religious  faith.  For  evidence  of  this,  I  referred 
them  to  Porter  Rockwell's  testimony  and  P.  Powell's.  I  stated  that  there 
was  abundant  testimony  to  prove  this  to  be  a  fact,  among  the  documents. 
I  then  gave  a  brief  history  of  the  persecutions  from  the  first  settlement 
in  the  State  to  our  final  expulsion." — Letter  of  Elias  Higbee  to  Joseph 
Smith,  concerning  his  appearance  before  a  committee  of  Congress,  written 
from  Washington,  D.  C,,  and  dated  February  20,  1840.  See  also  Times 
and  Seasons,  December,  1839,  and  "Church  History,"  Vol.  I.,  p.  183. 


-n 


THE   ASSASSINATION   OF  JOSEPH   SMITH. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  5 

carried  things  with  a  high  hand  at  Nauvoo.  He  was 
accused  of  aiding  and  abetting  a  secret  society,  called 
"Danites,"  in  their  depredations  upon  apostates  and  Gen- 
tiles; of  sheltering  criminals  fleeing  from  justice;  of 
attempting  to  bring  about  the  assassination  of  his  old 
enemy,  Governor  Boggs;  of  counterfeiting  the  current 
coin  of  the  United  States ;  of  speculating  in  Government 
lands,  and  of  the  practice  of  immorality. 

So  strong  were  the  evidences  sustaining  these  and 
other  charges,  that  a  respectable  party  broke  off  from 
the  church  and  attempted  to  make  a  public  exposure  of 
the  sins  of  the  Prophet  and  his  colleagues.  These  recu- 
sants started  to  publish  a  paper,  called  the  Nauvoo  Ex- 
positor, but  it  was*  short-lived,  for  immediately  after  its 
first  issue  of  June  7,  1844,  the  press  was  broken  and 
the  type  pied  by  order  of  the  city  council  and  without 
a  trial,  and  the  publishers  were  forced  to  flee  for  their 
lives. 

The  leaders  of  the  schism  took  refuge  in  the  Gentile 
town  of  Carthage,  where,  after  some  difficulty,  they 
secured  the  arrest  of  Smith  and  others  of  the  Mormon 
leaders,  and  he  and  his  brother  Hyrum  were  put  in 
Carthage  jail,  under  a  guard  of  State  militia,  to  await 
trial  on  the  charge  of  treason.  Here,  on  June  27,  1844, 
at  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  mob  of  infuriated 
Gentiles  stormed  the  jail,  overpowered  the  guard  and 
shot  Joseph  and  Hyrum  dead. 

No  doubt  the  Gentiles,  who  were  implicated  in  this 
inexcusable  crime,  thought  that  the  death  of  Smith 
would  put  an  end  to  Mormonism,  but,  instead,  it  was 
the  direst  calamity  that  could  possibly  have  befallen 
the  anti-Mormon  cause.  Had  he  been  permitted  to  live 
and  to  face  trial,  he  undoubtedly  would  have  been  con- 
victed and  the  eyes  of  his  deluded  followers  would  have 


6  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN  OF 

been  opened  to  his  true  character,  but,  as  it  was,  his 
tragic  death  gave  him  a  new  pose,  that  of  a  martyr, 
and  many  of  those  whose  faith  had  already  begun  to 
weaken  were  again  swung  into  line  and  Mormonism 
received  a  new  impetus  such  as  it  did  not  possess  be- 
fore. 

Hardly  had  the  flowers  withered  on  the  Prophet's 
grave,  than  a  number  of  claimants  arose,  each  demand- 
ing the  Mormon  throne.  Sidney  Rigdon  based  his  claim 
upon  the  fact  that  he  had  been  Joseph's  First  Counselor, 
which  was  next  to  the  highest  office  in  the  church.  But 
Sidney  had  been  out  of  favor  with  the  Prophet  during 
the  last  years  of  his  life1  and  had  lost  his  popularity 
with  the  people,  on  account  of  which  he  was  almost 
unanimously  rejected  by  the  church  as  its  "Guardian"  at 
a  public  meeting  held  at  Nauvoo,  August  8,  1844,  and 
was  excommunicated  on  September  8  of  the  same  year. 
He  returned  to  his  old  home  in  Pittsburgh,  crestfallen 
over  his  defeat,  and  organized  a  Mormon  Church  of  his 
own,  but  this  soon  went  to  pieces.  He  died  in  the 
year  1876. 

James  J.  Strang  was  another  of  the  leaders  who 
claimed  authority  as  Joseph's  successor.  He  produced 
a  letter  which  he  declared  was  written  by  Smith  himself, 
shortly  before  his  death,  which  appointed  him  to  that 
position.  He  succeeded  in  drawing  a  large  faction  away 
from  the  main  body  and  established  his  headquarters,  first 
at  Voree,  Wisconsin,  and  afterwards  at  Beaver  Island, 
Lake  Michigan,  where  he  met  a  tragic  death  at  the  hand 
of  an  assassin  in  1856. 

William  Smith  based  his  claim  to  leadership  mainly 
upon  the  fact  that  he  was  brother  of  the  Prophet,  whom 

1  Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XX.,  p.  694. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  7 

he  also  asserted  had  ordained  him  to  that  position  before 
his  death. 

But,  of  all  these  leaders,  Brigham  Young  was  the 
most  successful.  He  was  popular  with  the  Mormon 
people  and  had  been  a  steadfast  friend  of  Joseph  Smith. 
He  was  not  at  Nauvoo  at  the  time  of  the  Prophet's 
death,  being  in  the  Eastern  States  on  a  mission,  but, 
hearing  of  the  catastrophe,  he  hurried  home  and  reached 
Nauvoo  just  in  time  to  spoil  the  chances  of  Sidney 
Rigdon.  Through  his  popularity  and  influence,  the 
Twelve  were  accepted  as  the  leaders  of  the  church,  which 
gave  him  the  controlling  power,  he  being  president  of 
that  "Quorum."  During  the  remainder  of  his  life,  Young 
showed  exceptional  executive  ability,  successfully  lead- 
ing his  people  across  the  plains  to  Utah,  where  he  es- 
tablished" an  hierarchy,  which,  for  a  time,  bade  defiance 
to  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  At  his  death,  in 
1877,  he  was  succeeded  by  John  Taylor,  since  which  the 
succession  has  been  as  follows:  Wilford  Woodruff,  Lo- 
renzo Snow  and  Joseph  F.  Smith  (son  of  Hyrum),  the 
present  head  of  the  Utah  Church. 

There  were  still  other  factions  of  the  original  church, 
those  following  such  leaders  as  Lyman  Wight,  C.  B. 
Thompson,  J.  C.  Brewster,  William  Bickerton,  Alpheus 
Cutler  and  David  Whitmer,  but  these  were  short-lived 
and  soon  went  to  pieces,  leaving  but  few  traces  behind. 

The  branch  of  the  Mormon  Church  known  as  Joseph- 
ites,  and  officially  named  ''The  Reorganized  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,"  had  its  beginning  in 
the  year  1852  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  in  the  union  of  two 
former  Strangite  branches,  that  of  Zenas  H.  Gurley,  of 
Zarahemla,  Wisconsin,  and  that  of  Jason  W.  Briggs,  of 
Beloit.  At  a  conference  held  at  the  place  mentioned  in 
June,  1852,  it  was  "Resolved,  That  the  successor  of 


8  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Joseph  Smith,  Junior,  as  the  Presiding  High  Priest  in 
the  Melchisedec  Priesthood,  must  of  necessity  be  the  seed 
of  Joseph  Smith,  Junior,  in  fulfillment  of  the  law  and 
promises  of  God."  In  April,  1853,  at  a  conference  held 
at  Zarahemla,  Wisconsin,  seven  out  of  twelve  of  the 
Quorum  of  Apostles  were  chosen  and  other  officers  or- 
dained, and,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1860,  at  Amboy,  Illinois, 
Joseph  Smith,  the  eldest  son  of  the  Prophet,  was  accepted 
and  became  its  First  President  and  Seer.  The  Reor- 
ganized Church,  at  the  present  time,  maintains  its  head- 
quarters at  Lamoni,  Iowa,  and  claims  about  sixty  thou- 
sand members  throughout  the  world. 

There  is  still  another  very  small  Mormon  faction  in 
existence,  "The  Church  of  Christ,"  nicknamed  the  Hed- 
rickites  after  its  founder,  Granville  Hedrick.  It  has  its 
headquarters  at  Independence,  Missouri,  where  it  pub- 
lishes a  small  paper,  the  Evening  and  Morning  Star. 
This  branch  rejects  all  of  Smith's  revelations  which  were 
received  after  1834,  declaring  that  in  that  year  he  became 
a  fallen  prophet.  It  numbers  about  two  hundred  com- 
municants. 

This,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  Mormonism  from 
its  inception  down  to  the  present,  a  history  presenting 
features  both  interesting  and  repulsive.  Unlike  the  other 
sects  which  have  sprung  from  American  soil,  that  found- 
ed by  Joseph  Smith  was  adapted  neither  to  our  society, 
our  Government  nor  our  morals.  It  seemed  to  be  ut- 
terly out  of  harmony  with  the  purest  and  best  of  our 
existing  institutions,  and,  after  repeated  conflicts,  took 
refuge  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  it  bade  defiance 
to  American  law  and  order  until  coerced  into  subjection 
by  the  strong  arms  of  the  military1  and  civil  powers.  And 


*In  October,   1862,  Gol.  P.   Edward  Conner  arrived  at  Salt  Lake  City 
with    fifteen    hundred    men    and    established    Camp    Douglas.      "For    nearly 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  9 

Utah  Mormonism  is  to-day  as  unwilling  a  subject  as 
ever  to  the  laws  of  the  United  States  of  America.  It 
submits  because  it  is  forced  to. 

THE    DIFFERENCES     BETWEEN     THE    BRIGHAMITE    AND 
JOSEPHITE   CHURCHES. 

While  both  of  the  leading  branches  of  the  Mormon 
Church  accept  the  "Book  of  Mormon"  and  believe  that 
Joseph  Smith  was  a  prophet  of  God  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  there  are  at  least  five  important  doctrinal 
differences  between  them: 

I.  The  First  Presidency.  The  Brighamites  hold  that 
it  is  not  essential  that  the  First  President  of  the  church 
be  of  the  posterity  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  that  any  in- 
dividual chosen  of  God  and  approved  by  the  church 
may  so  act.  They  teach  that  an  ordination  to  the  Apos- 
tleship  fully  qualifies  the  one  ordained  to  officiate  as 
First  President,  as  this  officer  is  himself  an  Apostle.  On 
the  contrary,  the  Josephites  maintain  that  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  church  must  be  of  the  seed  of  Joseph 
Smith,  and  declare  that  prior  to  his  death  he  chose  his 
son,  then  twelve  years  of  age,  to  be  his  successor.  The 
Brighamite  side  of  the  controversy  is  ably  argued  by 
Elder  Brigham  H.  Roberts,  in  his  "Succession  in  the 
Presidency  of  the  Church,"  and  the  Josephite  by  Apostle 
Heman  C.  Smith,  in  his  reply,  "True  Succession  in 
Church  Presidency."  From  the  viewpoint  of  an  un- 
biased outsider,  after  a  careful  reading  of  the  arguments 
on  both  sides  of  the  question,  it  appears  to  me  that  if 
they  would  split  the  difference  they  would  have  about  the 

four    years,"    writes    Beadle,    "General    Conner    maintained    the    rights    of 
American    citizens,    and    protected    and    assisted    many    hundred    dissenting 
Mormons    in    their    escape    from    Utah." — Mysteries    and    Crimes    of    Mar- 
monism,  p.  202. 
(2) 


10  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

truth,  and  that,  as  it  now  stands,  the  Josephites  have  the 
President  and  the  Brighamites  the  church. 

2.  Adam-god-ism.  The  Brighamites  hold  that  there 
are  a  multitude  of  gods ;  in  fact,  that  the  number  is  being 
constantly  increased  by  the  addition  of  pious  Mormons. 
They  declare  that  God  himself  was  originally  as  we  are 
now;  in  other  words,  that  He  is  simply  an  exalted  man, 
and  that  those  who  keep  the  commandments  will  one  day 
be  like  Him.  This  doctrine  the  Josephites  deny  in  toto 
and  challenge  the  claim  that  the  Prophet  ever  taught  it. 
It  may  be  well  to  say,  however,  that  the  charge  was  made 
in  the  Nauvoo  Expositor  that  the  church  was  taught  the 
doctrine  of  a  "plurality  of  gods  above  the  God  of  this 
universe,  and  his  liability  to  fall  with  all  his  creations," 
and  that  Smith  himself,  in  a  funeral  sermon  preached 
over  the  dead  body  of  Elder  King  Follett,  in  April,  1844, 
said :  "You  have  got  to  learn  how  to  be  gods  yourselves ; 
to  be  kings  and  priests  to  God,  the  same  as  all  gods 
have  done;  by  going  from  a  small  degree  to  another, 
from  grace  to  grace,  from  exaltation  to  exaltation,  until 
you  are  able  to  sit  in  glory  as  doth  those  who  sit  en- 
throned in  everlasting  power."  From  which  it  would 
seem  that  this  doctrine  originated  with  Smith  himself. 
3.  Blood  Atonement.  The  Brighamites  have  been 
accused  of  teaching  that  the  shedding  of  an  apostate's 
blood  is  an  atonement  for  the  sin  of  apostasy.  This  has 
been  indignantly  denied,  but  the  statements  of  Young, 
Grant  and  other  Utah  leaders,  which  are  to  be  found  in 
the  bound  volumes  of  their  "Discourses,"  are  too  plain 
to  be  misunderstood.  For  instance,  President  Jedediah 
M.  Grant  said  in  a  discourse  delivered  Sept.  21,  1856: 
"I  say  there  are  men  and  women  here  that  I  would  advise 
to  go  to  the  President  immediately,  and  ask  him  to  ap- 
point a  committee  to  attend  to  their  case ;  and  then  let 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  11 

a  place  be  selected,  and  let  that  committee  shed  their 
blood."  The  Josephites,  of  course,  condemn  this  awful 
doctrine  and  employ  such  statements  as  the  foregoing 
with  telling  effect  in  their  controversies  with  the  Utah 
Church. 

4.  Gathering.     The  Brighamites  declare  that  before 
Smith's    death    he    prophesied    that   the    church    would 
"gather"  to  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  West,  and 
that  certain  steps  were  taken  with  a  view  to  such  a 
removal.     The  Josephites  deny  this  and  declare  that  the 
only  "Zion"  is  that  in  the  State  of  Missouri. 

5.  Polygamy.     The  Brighamites  assert  than  on  July 
12,   1843,  and  before,  the  Prophet  received  revelations 
authorizing  the  practice  of  polygamy,  and  that  in  obe- 
dience to  these  revelations  he  married  a  number  of  plural 
wives.     The    Josephites,    at    first,    conceded    that    their 
prophet  taught  the  doctrine,  but  claimed  that  he  repented 
of  his  connection  with  it  before  his  death  and  that  he 
had  the  revelation  commanding  it  burned.    In  later  years, 
however,   they   have   denied   emphatically   that   he   was 
ever  a  polygamist,  and  try  to  explain  away  the  force 
of  their   first   concessions.     Joseph   Smith,   the   present 
head  of  the  Reorganized  Church,  gives  the   following 
ingenious  explanation  of  the  origin  and  gradual  develop- 
ment of  the  spiritual-wife  doctrine : 

I  believe  that  during  the  latter  years  of  my  father's  life 
there  was  in  discussion  among  the  elders,  and  possibly  in  prac- 
tice, a  theory  like  the  following:  that  persons  who  might  believe 
that  there  was  a  sufficient  degree  of  spiritual  affinity  between 
them  as  married  companions,  to  warrant  the  desire  to  perpetuate 
that  union  in  the  world  to  come  and  after  the  resurrection,  could 
go  before  some  high  priest  whom  they  might  choose,  and  there 
making  known  their  desire,  might  be  married  for  eternity,  pledg- 
ing themselves  while  in  the  flesh  unto  each  other  for  the  ob- 
servance of  the  rights  of  companionship  in  the  spirit;  that  this 


12  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

was  called  spiritual  marriage,  and  upon  the  supposition  that 
what  was  sealed  by  this  priesthood,  before  which  this  pledge 
was  made  on  earth,  was  sealed  in  heaven,  the  marriage  relation 
then  entered  into  would  continue  in  eternity.  That  this  was  not 
authorized  by  command  of  God  or  rule  of  the  church;  but  grew 
out  of  the  constant  discussion  had  among  the  elders;  and  that 
after  a  time  it  resulted  in  the  wish  (father  to  the  thought)  that 
married  companionship  rendered  unpleasant  here  by  incompati- 
bilities of  different  sorts,  might  be  cured  for  the  world  to  come, 
by  securing  through  this  means  a  congenial  companion  in  the 
spirit;  that  there  was  but  brief  hesitancy  between  the  wish  and 
an  attempt  to  put  it  into  form  and  practice.  That  once  started 
the  idea  grew;  spiritual  affinities  were  sought  after,  and  in 
seeking  them  the  hitherto  sacred  precincts  of  home  were  in- 
vaded; less  and  less  restraint  was  exercised;  the  lines  between 
virtue  and  license,  hitherto  sharply  drawn,  grew  more  and  more 
indistinct;  spiritual  companionship,  if  sanctioned  by  a  holy  priest- 
hood, to  confer  favors  and  pleasures  in  the  world  to  come, 
might  be  antedated  and  put  to  actual  test  here — and  so  the  en- 
joyment of  a  spiritual  companionship  in  eternity  became  a  com- 
panionship here;  a  wife  a  spiritual  wife,  if  congenial;  if  not, 
one  that  was  congenial  was  sought,  and  a  wife  in  fact  was  sup- 
plemented by  one  in  spirit,  which  in  easy  transition  became  one 
in  essential  earthly  relationship.  From  this,  if  one,  why  not  two 
or  more,  and  plural  marriage,  or  plurality  of  wives,  was  the 
growth.  That  so  soon  as  the  prophet  discovered  that  this  must 
inevitably  be  the  result  of  the  marriage  for  eternity  between 
married  companions,  which  for  the  time  was  perhaps  looked 
upon  as  a  harmless  enlargement  of  the  priesthood  theory,  and 
rather  intended  to  glorify  them  in  doing  business  for  eternity 
and  the  heavens,  he  set  about  correcting  it.  But  the  evil  had, 
unnoted  by  him,  taken  root,  and  it  was  too  late.  What  had  been 
possibly  innocently  spiritual  became  fleshly,  sensual — devilish. 
He  was  taken  away.  The  long  train  of  circumstances  burst  upon 
the  people.  He  and  Hyrum  placed  themselves  in  the  front  of 
the  impending  storm  and  went  down  to  death.  That  which  in 
life  they  were  powerless  to  prevent  rapidly  took  the  successive 
forms  heretofore  stated,  and  polygamy,  after  eight  years  of 
further  fostering  in  secret,  rose  in  terrible  malignity  to  essay 
the  destruction  of  the  church.  That  my  father  may  have  been 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  13 

a  party  to  the  first  step  in  this  strange  development,  I  am  per- 
haps prepared  to  admit,  though  the  evidence  connecting  him 
with  it  is  vague  and  uncertain ;  but  that  he  was  in  any  other- 
wise responsible  for  plural  marriage,  plurality  of  wives,  or 
polygamy,  I  do  not  know,  nor  are  the  evidences  so  far  produced 
to  me  conclusive  to  force  my  belief. — TulUdge's  History,  pp. 
798-800. 

This,  the  son  of  the  Mormon  Prophet  asks  us  to 
accept  as  the  true  explanation  of  the  introduction  and 
development  of  the  doctrine  and  practice  of  polygamy! 
Is  it  not,  rather,  the  labored  effort  of  the  son  to  let  the 
father  down  easy  and  lighten  his  burden  of  responsi- 
bility for  the  existence  of  this  foul  blot  upon  American 
civilization,  and  so  relieve  the  family  name  of  the  stigma 
that  has  so  long  been  attached  to  it?  If  polygamy  was 
introduced  into  the  church  before  Joseph's  death,  as  it  is 
admitted  it  was,  could  it  have  been  introduced  by  any 
one  but  Smith  himself?  His  will  was  law,  and  the 
manner  in  which  he  dealt  with  others1  for  daring  to  teach 
doctrines  contrary  to  his  own  shows  how  he  would  have 
dealt  with  Young  or  any  other  man  who  might  .have  at- 
tempted to  introduce  polygamy  without  his  sanction.  Be- 
sides, Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Lyman  Wight, 
and  other  noted  polygamists,  were  among  his  closest 
friends  up  to  the  very  time  of  his  death,  while  the  Laws 
and  Higbees,  Foster  and  Marks,  who  opposed  this  doc- 
trine and  practice,  were  out  of  favor  with  him  during 
the  latter  part  of  his  life.9  Straws  tell  which  way  the 

1  Elders  Gladden  Bishop  and  Oliver  Olney  were  ignominiously  dis- 
fellowshiped  for  claiming  to  receive  revelations  and  for  teaching  doctrines 
inconsistent  with  the  faith  of  the  church." — Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XIX., 
pp.  151,  211. 

8  "Whatever  can  be  the  matter  with  these  men?  [Law  and  Marks.] 
Is  it  that  the  wicked  flee  when  no  man  pursueth,  that  hit  pigeons  always 
nutter,  that  drowning  men  catch  at  straws  or  that  Presidents  Law  and 
Marks  are  absolutely  traitors  to  the  church,  that  my  remarks  should 


14  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

wind  blows,  and  Smith's  friendship  for  polygamists  and 
his  enmity  toward  monogamists  plainly  indicates  where 
he  stood  on  the  question  of  plural  marriage. 

The  evidences  all  unite  in  proving  that  the  foul  doc- 
trine of  Mormon  polygamy  was  conceived  in  the  lustful 
brain1  of  Joseph  Smith;  that  it  was  practiced  on  the  sly 
at  Kirtland  and  in  Missouri ;  that  it  was  made  the  subject 
of  a  revelation  at  Nauvoo ;  and  that,  when  the  Mormons 
were  beyond  the  reach  of  Uncle  Sam,  it  was  openly 
advocated  and  practiced  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

THE    BOOK   OF    MORMON    ON    POLYGAMY. 

Both  branches  of  the  Mormon  Church  claim  the 
Book  of  Mormon  as  being  on  their  side  in  the  contro- 
versy over  polygamy.  The  Josephites  contend  that  the 
practice  is  condemned  in  the  strongest  terms,  while  the 
Brighamites  just  as  strongly  contend  that  immediately 
following  the  condemnation  of  the  lustful  practices  of 
David  and  Solomon  a  clause  is  inserted  which  provides 
for  the  practice  whensoever  commanded  by  the  Lord 
and  for  the  purpose  of  raising  up  seed  unto  Him.  The 
passage  in  question  reads  as  follows: 

Behold,  David  and  Solomon  truly  had  many  wives  and  con- 
cubines, which  thing  was  abominable  before  me,  saith  the  Lord, 
wherefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  I  have  led  this  people  forth  out 
of  the  land  of  Jerusalem,  by  the  power  of  mine  arm,  that  I 
might  raise  up  unto  me  a  righteous  branch  from  the  fruit  of 

produce  such  excitement  in  their  minds?  .  .  .  The  people  in  the  town 
are  astonished,  almost  every  man  saying  to  his  neighbor,  'Is  it  possible 
that  Brother  Law  or  Brother  Marks  is  a  traitor,  and  would  deliver  Brother 
Joseph  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies  in  Missouri?  If  not,  what  can  be 
the  meaning  of  all  this?  The  righteous  are  as  bold  as  a  lion." — Millennial 
Star,  Vol.  XXII.,  p.  631. 

1  In  phrenological  charts,  prepared  in  the  summer  of  1842,  by  A. 
Crane,  M.D.,  for  Joseph  Smith,  Willard  Richards,  Brigham  Young  and 
Heber  C.  Kimball,  they  stood,  respectively,  n,  8,  7  and  10,  on  a  scale  of 
12,  in  amativeness.  This  fact  is  significant. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  15 

the  loins  of  Joseph.  Wherefore,  I,  the  Lord  God,  will  not  suffer 
that  this  people  shall  do  like  unto  them  of  old.  Wherefore,  my 
brethren,  hear  me,  and  hearken  to  the  word  of  the  Lord:  For 
there  shall  not  any  man  among  you  have  save  it  be  one  wife; 
and  concubines  he  shall  have  none:  For  I,  the  Lord  God,  de- 
lighteth  in  the  chastity  of  women.  And  whoredoms  are  an 
abomination  before  me :  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts — where- 
fore, this  people  shall  keep  my  commandments,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts,  or  cursed  be  the  land  for  their  sakes. — Jacob  2 : 6. 

This  would  be  as  clear-cut  and  strong  a  denuncia- 
tion of  polygamous  practices  as  one  could  ask,  were  it 
not  for  the  qualifying  clause  which  immediately  follows, 
and  which  reads : 

For  if  I  will,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  raise  up  seed  unto 
me,  I  will  command  my  people:  otherwise,  they  shall  hearken 
unto  these  things. 

This  last  clause  has  given  the  Josephites  no  little 
trouble,  and  they  have  resorted  to  a  far-fetched  exegesis 
to  destroy  its  evident  sense.  Elder  H.  A.  Stebbins  writes  : 

Of  course  those  who  claim  to  find  sanction  for  their  own 
evil  and  lustful  deeds  have  tried  to  make  a  good  deal  of  capital 
out  of  this  word  otherwise.  All  that  we  really  can  understand 
by  it  is  that  it  means,  "in  other  words"  you  shall  hearken  to 
these  things  that  I  (the  Lord)  have  spoken. — Book  of  Mormon 
Lectures,  p.  197. 

But,  if  the  Lord  had  meant  "in  other  words,"  why 
did  He  not  say  so,  and  why  did  He  use  a  term  that  is  not 
in  the  least  synonymous,  but  conveys  an  entirely  differ- 
ent idea?  "Otherwise"  does  not  mean  "in  other  words," 
but  is  an  adverb  of  manner  indicating  that  the  Nephites 
were  to  refrain  from  the  relations  previously  stated 
unless  there  should  come  a  divine  command  to  the  con- 
trary. The  plain  import  of  this  passage  is:  Polygamy 
without  a  command  from  God  and  for  the  gratification 
of  the  sensual  appetite  is  an  abomination  before  Him; 


16  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

polygamy  with  a  command  from  God  and  prompted  by  a 
desire  to  raise  up  seed  unto  Him  is  obligatory. 

This  passage,  then,  is  no  insuperable  barrier  to  the 
introduction  of  polygamy,  and,  upon  the  supposition  that 
God  gave  a  revelation  enjoining  it  upon  Joseph  Smith 
and  others  at  Nauvoo,  July  12,  1843,  can  be  explained 
in  perfect  harmony  with  the  theory  and  practice  of  the 
Utah  Mormon  Church. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY.  IT 


CHAPTER   II. 

The  Reputation  of  the   Smiths  at  Palmyra — The  Mormon  At- 
tempt to  Exonerate  Them — First  Intimations  of  Polygamy. 

While  it  is  not  always  true  that  as  is  the  boy  so 
will  be  the  man,  it  is,  nevertheless,  undeniable  that  youth- 
ful training  and  environments  are  largely  responsible  for 
what  most  men  are  in  after  life.  This  certainly  was  the 
case  with  the  Mormon  Prophet.  Being  reared  in  an  at- 
mosphere of  superstition,  bigotry,  dishonesty  and  lust, 
he  early  inhaled  those  germs  which  poisoned  his  moral 
system  and  finally  brought  him  to  his  tragic  and  disgrace- 
ful end. 

Stephen  S.  Harding,  one-time  Governor  of  Utah, 
who  knew  Smith  at  Palmyra,  describes  him  as  having 
been  a  tall,  long-legged  and  tow-headed  youth,  who 
seldom  srailed,  hardly  ever  worked  and  never  fought, 
but  who  was  hard  on  the  truth  and  birds'  nests.  Others 
of  his  acquaintances  say  that  what  little  education  he 
had  was  picked  up  by  chance  and  that  his  main  occupa- 
tions were  fishing  in  the  village  mill-pond,  digging  out 
woodchucks,  hunting  for  lost  treasure  and  reading  the 
lives  of  the  notorious  Captain  Kidd  and  the  clerical  scoun- 
drel, Stephen  Burroughs,  from  which,  without  doubt,  he 
drew  a  large  part  of  the  inspiration  for  his  spectacular 
and  unenviable  career. 

Time  made  some  changes  and  the  tow-head  became 
a  light  auburn,  but  the  moral  traits  continued  the  same, 
and  secretiveness,  untruthfulness,  dishonesty  and  coward- 
ice followed  him  to  his  assassination.  Indeed,  at  no 
time  in  his  history  was  the  last-mentioned  trait  more 


18  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

manifest  than,  when  leaping  from  the  window  of  Car- 
thage jail,  he  cravenly  called  out  the  Masonic  cry  of  dis- 
tress, "Is  there  no  help  for  the  widow's  son?"1  with  the 
evident  purpose  of  exciting  the  pity  of  his  enemies. 

THE    REPUTATION    OF   THE   SMITHS   AT   PALMYRA. 

Joseph  Smith,  Sr.,  father  of  the  Prophet,  is  described 
as  having  been  below  the  ordinary  in  veracity,  honesty 
and  intelligence,  and  yet  with  a  native  shrewdness  which 
gave  him  power  over  others  of  the  same  class.  He  was 
intensely  superstitious,  and  spent  a  large  part  of  his  time 
in  "witching"  for  lost  treasure,  as  the  following  account, 
subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  a  neighbor,  Peter  Ingersoll, 
at  Palmyra,  December  9,  1833,  will  show : 

I  was  once  ploughing  near  the  house  of  Joseph  Smith,  Sen. 
About  noon,  he  requested  me  to  walk  with  him  a  short  distance 
from  his  house,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  whether  a  mineral  rod 
would  work  in  my  hand,  saying,  at  the  same  time,  he  was  con- 
fident it  would.  As  my  oxen  were  eating,  and  being  myself  at 
leisure,  I  accepted  the  invitation.  When  we  arrived  near  the 
place  at  which  he  thought  there  was  money,  he  cut  a  small  witch- 
hazel  bush,  and  gave  me  direction  how  to  hold  it.  He  then 
went  off  some  rods  and  told  me  to  say  to  the  rod,  "Work  to  the 
money,"  which  I  did,  in  an  audible  voice.  He  rebuked  me 
severely  for  speaking  it  loud,  and  said  it  must  be  spoken  in  a 
whisper.  This  was  rare  sport  for  me.  While  the  old  man  was 
standing  off  some  rods,  throwing  himself  into  various  shapes, 
I  told  him  the  rod  did  not  work.  He  seemed  much  surprised  at 
this,  and  said  he  thought  he  saw  it  move  in  my  hand.  .  .  .  An- 
other time,  the  said  Joseph,  Sen.,  told  me  that  the  best  time 
for  digging  money  was  in  the  heat  of  summer,  when  the  heat 
of  the  sun  caused  the  chests  of  money  to  rise  near  the  top  of 
the  ground.  "You  notice,"  said  he,  "the  large  stones  on  top  of 
the  ground — we  call  them  rocks,  and  they  truly  appear  so,  but 


1  Times  and  Seasons,   Vol.   V.,   p.    585.      "Mormon   Portraits,"   p.    154. 
"Mormonism  Unveiled,"  p.  153. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  19 

they  are,  in  fact,  most  of  them  chests  of  money  raised  by  the 
heat  of  the  sun." 

The  mother,  Lucy  Smith,  was  not  one  whit  behind 
the  father.  Credulous  to  an  extreme  degree,  she  peopled 
the  air  with  familiar  spirits  and  told  many  extravagant 
stories  of  her  experiences  with  them.  She  was  a  verita- 
ble witch,  and  passed  on  to  her  son  the  secrets  of  her 
calling.  Mrs.  Dr.  Horace  Eaton,  who  was  a  resident 
of  Palmyra  for  thirty-two  years,  has  this  to  say  of  the 
Smith  family  in  general  and  the  mother  in  particular : 

As  far  as  Mormonism  was  connected  with  its  reputed 
founder,  Joseph  Smith,  always  called  "Joe.  Smith,"  it  had  its 
origin  in  the  brain  and  heart  of  an  ignorant,  deceitful  mother. 
Joe  Smith's  mother  moved  in  the  lowest  walks  of  life,  but  she 
had  a  kind  of  mental  power,  which  her  son  shared.  With  them 
both  the  imagination  was  the  commanding  faculty.  It  was  vain, 
but  vivid.  To  it  was  subsidized  reason,  conscience,  truth.  Both 
mother  and  son  were  noted  for  a  habit  of  extravagant  assertion. 
They  would  look  a  listener  full  in  the  eye,  and,  without  con- 
fusion or  blanching,  would  fluently  improvise  startling  statements 
and  exciting  stones,  the  warp  and  woof  of  which  were  alike 
sheer  falsehood.  Was  an  inconsistency  alluded  to,  nothing 
daunted,  a  subterfuge  was  always  at  hand.  As  one  old  man, 
who  knew  them  well,  said  to  me,  "You  can't  face  them  down. 
They'd  lie  and  stick  to  it."  Many  of  the  noblest  specimens  of 
humanity  have  arisen  from  a  condition  of  honest  poverty;  but 
few  of  these  from  one  of  dishonest  poverty.  Agur  apprehended 
the  danger  when  he  said,  "Lest  I  be  poor  and  steal."  Mrs. 
Smith  used  to  go  to  the  houses  of  the  village  and  do  family 
washings.  But  if  the  articles  were  left  to  dry  upon  the  lines, 
and  not  secured  by  their  owners  before  midnight,  the  washer 
was  often  the  winner — and  in  these  nocturnal  depredations  she 
was  assisted  by  her  boys,  who  favored  in  like  manner  poultry 
yards  and  grain  bins.  Her  son  Joe  never  worked  save  at 
"chopping  bees"  and  "raisings,"  and  then  whiskey  was  the  im- 
petus and  the  reward.  The  mother  of  the  high-priest  of  Mor- 
monism was  superstitious  to  the  last  degree.  The  very  air  she 
breathed  was  inhabited  by  "familiar  spirits  that  peeped  and 


20  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

wizards  that  muttered."  She  turned  many  a  penny  by  tracing 
Jn  the  lines  of  the  open  palm  the  fortunes  of  the  inquirer. 
All  ominous  signs  were  heeded.  No  work  was  commenced  on 
Friday.  The  moon  over  the  left  shoulder  portended  calamity; 
the  breaking  of  a  mirror,  death.  Even  in  the  old  Green  Mountain 
State,  before  the  family  emigrated  to  the  Genesee  country  (the 
then  West),  Mrs.  Smith's  mind  was  made  up  that  one  of  her 
sons  should  be  a  prophet.  The  weak  father  agreed  with  her 
that  Joseph  was  the  "genus"  of  their  nine  children.  So  it  was 
established  that  Joseph  should  be  the  prophet.  To  such  an 
extent  did  the  mother  impress  this  idea  upon  the  boy,  that  all 
the  instincts  of  childhood  were  restrained.  He  rarely  smiled 
or  laughed.  "His  looks  and  thoughts  were  always  downward 
bent."  He  never  indulged  in  the  demonstrations  of  fun,  since 
they  would  not  be  in  keeping  with  the  profound  dignity  of  his 
allotted  vocation.  His  mother  inspired  and  aided  him  in  every 
scheme  of  duplicity  and  cunning.  All  acquainted  with  the  facts 
agree  in  saying  that  the  evil  spirit  of  Mormonism  dwelt  first  in 
Joe  Smith's  mother. 

One  of  the  means  by  which  the  Prophet  deceived  his 
credulous  followers  was  a  stone  found  while  digging  a 
well  in  the  year  1822,  and  through  which  he  claimed  he 
could  find  silver  mines,  the  depositories  of  hidden  treas- 
ure, etc.  What  the  "rod"  had  been  to  the  father  the 
"peepstone"  was  to  the  son,  and  he  always  found  a  class 
who  were  ready  to  believe  his  absurd  pretensions.  Mr. 
Willard  Chase,  in  whose  well  the  stone  was  found,  under 
date  of  December  n,  1833,  gives  the  following  account 
of  its  finding  and  the  use  that  was  afterwards  made  of  it : 

I  became  acquainted  with  the  Smith  family,  known  as  the 
authors  of  the  Mormon  Bible,  in  the  year  1820.  At  that  time, 
they  were  engaged  in  the  money-digging  business,  which  they 
followed  until  the  latter  part  of  the  season  of  1827.  In  the 
year  1822,  I  was  engaged  in  digging  a  well.  I  employed  Alvin 
and  Joseph  Smith  to  assist  me;  the  latter  of  whom  is  now 
known  as  the  Mormon  prophet.  After  digging  about  twenty 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  earth,  we  discovered  a  singularly 
appearing  stone,  which  excited  my  curiosity.  I  brought  it  to 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  21 

the  top  of  the  well,  and  as  we  were  examining  it,  Joseph  put 
it  into  his  hat,  and  then  his  face  into  the  top  of  his  hat. 
It  has  been  said  by  Smith,  that  he  brought  the  stone  from  the 
well;  but  this  is  false.  There  was  no  one  in  the  well  but  myself. 
The  next  morning  he  came  to  me,  and  wished  to  obtain  the  stone, 
alleging  that  he  could  see  in  it;  but  I  told  him  I  did  not 
wish  to  part  with  it,  on  account  of  its  being  a  curiosity,  but  would 
lend  it.  After  obtaining  the  stone,  he  began  to  publish  abroad 
what  wonders  he  could  discover  by  looking  in  it,  and  made 
so  much  disturbance  among  the  credulous  part  of  the  commu- 
nity, that  I  ordered  the  stone  to  be  returned  to  me  again.  He 
had  it  in  his  possession  about  two  years.  I  believe,  some  time  in 
1825,  Hiram  Smith  (brother  of  Joseph  Smith)  came  to  me,  and 
wished  to  borrow  the  same  stone,  alleging  that  they  wanted  to 
accomplish  some  business  of  importance,  which  could  not  very 
well  be  done  without  the  aid  of  the  stone.  I  told  him  it  was 
of  no  particular  worth  to  me,  but  merely  wished  to  keep  it  as  a 
curiosity,  and  if  he  would  pledge  me  his  word  and  honor,  that 
I  should  have  it  when  called  for,  he  might  take  it;  which  he  did 
and  took  the  stone.  I  thought  I  could  rely  on  his  word  at  this 
time,  as  he  had  made  a  profession  of  religion.  But  in  this  I  was 
disappointed,  for  he  disregarded  both  his  word  and  honor.  In 
the  fall  of  1826,  a  friend  called  upon  me  and  wished  to  see  that 
stone,  about  which  so  much  had  been  said ;  and  I  told  him  if  he 
would  go  with  me  to  Smith's  (a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile) 
he  might  see  it.  But,  to  my  surprise,  on  going  to  Smith's,  and 
asking  him  for  the  stone,  he  said,  "You  can  not  have  it;"  I  told 
him  it  belonged  to  me,  repeated  to  him  the  promise  he  made 
me,  at  the  time  of  obtaining  the  stone ;  upon  which  he  faced 
me  with  a  malignant  look  and  said,  "I  don't  care  who  in  the 
Devil  it  belonged  to,  you  shall  not  have  it."  ...  In  April,  1830, 
I  again  asked  Hiram  for  the  stone  which  he  had  borrowed  of 
me;  he  told  me  I  should  not  have  it,  for  Joseph  made  use  of  it 
in  translating  his  Bible.  I  reminded  him  of  his  promise,  and 
that  he  had  pledged  his  honor  to  return  it;  but  he  gave  me  the 
lie,  saying  the  stone  was  not  mine  nor  never  was.  ...  I  have 
regarded  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  from  the  time  I  first  became  ac- 
quainted with  him  until  he  left  this  part  of  the  country,  as  a 
man  whose  word  could  not  be  depended  upon.  Hiram's  char- 
acter was  but  very  little  better. 


22  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Perhaps  no  one  was  better  acquainted  with  the  pure 
rascality  of  the  Mormon  Prophet  than  was  his  father-in- 
law,  Isaac  Hale,  of  Harmony,  Pennsylvania.  Smith  had 
become  acquainted  with  his  daughter  in  the  winter  of 
1825-26,  when  boarding  at  his  house  while  on  one  of  his 
money-hunting  expeditions,  and,  being  refused  her  hand 
on  account  of  his  bad  habits,  had  eloped  with,  and  was 
married  to,  her  on  the  i8th  of  January,  1827.  After 
their  marriage,  they  went  to  Manchester,  from  which 
place  Joseph  returned  to  Harmony  in  August,  following, 
for  the  purpose  of  procuring  his  wife's  household  goods. 
Peter  Ingersoll,  who  accompanied  him,  declares  that 
when  Hale  saw  Joseph  he  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears  and 
said:  "You  have  stolen  my  daughter  and  married  her. 
I  had  much  rather  followed  her  to  the  grave.  You  spend 
your  time  in  digging  for  money,  pretend  to  see  in  the 
stone  and  deceive  people."  Joseph  also  wept  and  prom- 
ised his  father-in-law  that  he  would  give  up  his  old 
habits  and  settle  down,  at  the  same  time  confessing  that 
his  former  pretensions  of  being  able  to  see  things  in  the 
stone  were  also  false.  On  March  20,  1834,  Hale  swore 
and  subscribed  to  the  following  statement: 

I  first  became  acquainted  with  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  in  November, 
1825.  He  was  at  that  time  in  the  employ  of  a  set  of  men  who 
were  called  "money-diggers ;"  and  his  occupation  was  that  of 
seeing,  or  pretending  to  see,  by  means  of  a  stone  placed  in  his 
hat,  and  his  hat  closed  over  his  face.  In  this  way  he  pretended 
to  discover  minerals  and  hidden  treasure.  His  appearance  at 
this  time  was  that  of  a  careless  young  man — not  very  well  edu- 
cated, and  very  saucy  and  insolent  to  his  father.  Smith,  and 
his  father,  with  several  other  "money-diggers,"  boarded  at  my 
house  while  they  were  employed  in  digging  for  a  mine  that  they 
supposed  had  been  opened  and  worked  by  the  Spaniards,  many 
years  since.  Young  Smith  gave  the  "money-diggers"  great  en- 
couragement, at  first,  but  when  they  had  arrived  in  digging,  to 
near  the  place  where  he  had  stated  an  immense  treasure  could 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  23 

be  found— he  said  the  enchantment  was  so  powerful  that  he 
could  not  see.  They  then  became  discouraged,  and  soon  after 
dispersed.  This  took  place  about  the  i;th  of  November,  1825; 
and  one  of  the  company  gave  me  his  note  for  $12.68  for  his 
board,  which  is  still  unpaid.  After  these  occurrences  young  Smith 
made  several  visits  to  my  house,  and  at  length  asked  my  consent 
to  his  marrying  my  daughter  Emma.  This  I  refused,  and  gave 
my  reasons  for  so  doing;  some  of  which  were,  that  he  was  a 
stranger,  and  followed  a  business  that  I  could  not  approve;  he 
then  left  the  place.  Not  long  after  this  he  returned,  and  while 
I  was  absent  from  home,  carried  off  my  daughter,  into  the  state 
of  New  York,  where  they  were  married  without  my  approbation 
or  consent.  After  they  had  arrived  at  Palmyra,  N.  Y.,  Emma 
wrote  to  me  inquiring  whether  she  could  take  her  property, 
consisting  of  clothing,  furniture,  cows,  etc.  I  replied  that  her 
property  was  safe,  and  at  her  disposal.  In  a  short  time  they 
returned,  bringing  with  them  a  Peter  Ingersoll,  and  subsequently 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  would  move  out,  and  reside 
upon  a  place  near  my  residence.  Smith  stated  to  me  that  he  had 
given  up  what  he  called  "glass  looking,"  and  that  he  expected 
to  work  hard  for  a  living,  and  was  willing  to  do  so.  He  also 
made  arangements  with  my  son  Alva  Hale,  to  go  to  Palmyra, 
and  move  his  (Smith's)  furniture,  etc.,  to  this  place.  He  then 
returned  to  Palmyra,  and  soon  after  Alva,  agreeable  to  the  ar- 
rangement, went  up  and  returned  with  Smith  and  his  family. 
Soon  after  this  I  was  informed  they  had  brought  a  wonderful 
Book  of  Plates  down  with  them.  I  was  shown  a  box  in  which 
it  is  said  they  were  contained,  which  had,  to  all  appearances, 
been  used  as  a  glass  box  of  the  common  window  glass.  I  was 
allowed  to  feel  the  weight  of  the  box,  and  they  gave  me  to 
understand  that  the  Book  of  Plates  was  then  in  the  box — into 
which,  however,  I  was  not  allowed  to  look.  I  inquired  of  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  who  was  to  be  the  first  who  would  be  allowed  to 
see  the  Book  of  Plates?  He  said  it  was  a  young  child.  After 
this,  I  became  dissatisfied,  and  informed  him  that  if  there  was 
anything  in  my  house  of  that  description,  which  I  could  not  be 
allowed  to  see,  he  must  take  it  away;  if  he  did  not  I  was  deter- 
mined to  see  it.  After  that,  the  plates  were  said  to  be  hid  in  the 
woods.  .  .  .  The  manner  in  which  he  pretended  to  read  and  inter- 
pret, was  the  same  as  when  he  looked  for  the  "money-diggers," 


24  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

with  the  stone  in  his  hat,  and  his  hat  over  his  face,  while  the 
Book  of  Plates  was  at  the  same  time  hid  in  the  woods !  .  .  .  I 
conscientiously  believe  from  the  facts  I  have  detailed,  and  from 
many  other  circumstances,  which  1  do  not  deem  it  necessary 
to  relate,  that  the  whole  "Book  of  Mormon"  (so  called)  is  a 
silly  fabrication  of  falsehood  and  wickedness,  got  up  for  specu- 
lation, and  with  a  design  to  dupe  the  credulous  and  unwary — 
and  in  order  that  its  fabricators  may  live  upon  the  spoils  of 
those  who  swallow  the  deception. 

On  December  4,  1833,  fifty-one  citizens  of  Palmyra, 
New  York,  signed  the  following  statement  relative  to  the 
character  of  the  Smiths: 

We,  the  undersigned,  have  been  acquainted  with  the  Smith 
family,  for  a  number  of  years,  while  they  resided  near  this  place, 
and  we  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that  we  consider  them 
destitute  of  that  moral  character,  which  ought  to  entitle  them 
to  the  confidence  of  any  community.  They  were  particularly 
famous  for  visionary  projects,  spent  much  of  their  time  in  dig- 
ging for  money  which  they  pretended  was  hid  in  the  earth ;  and 
to  this  day,  large  excavations  may  be  seen  in  the  earth,  not 
far  from  their  residence,  where  they  used  to  spend  their  time 
in  digging  for  hidden  treasures.  Joseph  Smith,  Senior,  and  his 
son  Joseph,  were  in  particular  considered  entirely  destitute  of 
moral  character,  and  addicted  to  vicious  habits. 

The  foregoing  statements  have  given  the  Mormons 
no  little  trouble,  for  while  they  freely  admit  that  Joseph 
was  reared  in  poverty  and  ignorance,  which  they  think 
fulfills  prophecy,  they  indignantly  deny  the  charge  that 
his  family  were  destitute  of  moral  character,  averring 
that  the  stories  told  about  them  are  the  malicious  inven- 
tions of  unscrupulous  enemies.  The  fact,  however,  that 
the  Mormons  have  had  ample  opportunity  to  refute 
these  charges  and  have  never  done  so  is  pretty  good 
evidence  that  in  the  main  they  are  well  founded. 

THE    MORMON   ATTEMPT   TO   EXONERATE   THE   SMITHS. 

The  followers  of  Joseph  Smith  have  made  at  least 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  25 

one  attempt  to  get  testimonies  favorable  to  his  family 
among  the  old  citizens  of  Palmyra.  In  the  Cadillac 
(Michigan)  Nezvs  of  April  6,  1880,  appeared  an  article 
from  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Thorne,  of  Manchester,  New  York, 
which  contained  a  number  of  testimonies  relative  to  the 
poor  character  of  the  Smiths  and  Cowdery,  as  follows: 

I  knew  Joe  Smith,  personally  to  some  extent,  saw  him  fre- 
quently, knew  well  his  reputation,  he  was  a  lazy,  drinking  fel- 
low, and  loose  in  his  habits  in  every  way. — Danford  Booth. 

Smith's  reputation  was  bad.  I  was  acquainted  with  Oliver 
Cowdery.  He  was  a  low  pettifogger,  the  cat's-paw  of  the 
Smiths  to  do  their  dirty  work. — Orrin  Reed. 

I  knew  the  Smiths,  but  did  not  associate  with  them,  for  they 
were  too  low  to  associate  with.  There  was  no  truth  in  them. 
Their  aim  was  to  get  in  where  they  could  get  property.  They 
broke  up  homes  in  that  way.  Smith  had  no  regular  business. 
He  had  frequent  revelations. — Wm.  Bryant. 

This  stirred  the  Mormons,  who  at  that  time  were 
carrying  on  mission  work  in  Cadillac,  to  action,  and,  in 
the  spring  of  1881,  two  of  their  elders,  W.  H.  and  E.  L. 
Kelley,  went  to  Palmyra  and  vicinity,  concealed  their 
identity,  interviewed  the  parties  who  made  the  foregoing 
statements,  and  others,  and  published  their  purported 
interviews  in  the  Saints'  Herald,  of  Piano,  Illinois,  for 
June  I,  1 88 1.  Their  purported  interviews  with  Booth, 
Reed,  Bryant  and  also  J.  H.  Gilbert,  reported  by  the 
first  named,  I  now  give: 

Having  the  names  of  Messrs.  Bryant,  Booth,  and  Reed,  ob- 
tained from  a  published  communication  in  the  Cadillac  News,  of 
Michigan,  about  a  year  ago,  by  Rev.  A.  Marsh,  of  that  place, 
who  had  received  it  from  a  brother  Reverend,  one  C.  C.  Thorn, 
of  Manchester,  New  York,  who  claimed  to  have  interviewed 
the  above  named  gentlemen,  and  obtained  from  them  wonderful 
revelations  about  the  Smith  family,  Cowdery,  etc.,  making  Mr. 
Bryant  to  say  that  Smith  was  "a  lazy,  drinking  fellow,  loose  in 
his  habits  every  way;"  and  Mr.  Booth  to  say  that  their  reputation 
(3) 


26  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

was  "bad,"  and  that  Oliver  Cowdery  was  "a  low  pettifogger," 
and  "cat's-paw  of  the  Smiths,  to  do  their  dirty  work,"  etc.;  and 
Mr.  Reed  to  say,  "they  were  too  low  for  him  to  associate  with," 
with  a  citation  of  the  black  sheep  story,  etc.;  all  of  whom  were 
"astonished  beyond  measure"  at  the  progress  of  this  "imposture, 
which  they  thought  would  not  amount  to  anything."  All  of 
which  was  sent  to  Rev.  A.  Marsh,  of  Cadillac,  in  order  to  coun- 
teract the  influence  which  had  been  created  in  favor  of  the  faith 
in  that  place,  by  the  efforts  of  M.  H.  Bond  and  myself. 

Believing  then  that  the  whole  story  was  a  trumped  up  thing, 
I  was  determined  to  call  on  these  gentlemen,  and  ascertain 
whether  this  pious  Rev.  told  the  truth  about  what  they  said  or 
not. 

At  about  10  a.  m.  we  called  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Bryant, 
and  knocked  at  the  door,  which  was  answered  by  a  lady  who 
gave  her  name  as  Mary  Bryant.  She  gave  us  seats  in  the  room 
where  her  husband,  William  Bryant,  was  sitting.  He  is  now 
eighty-five  years  of  age,  tall,  and  lean  in  flesh,  and,  during  our 
interview,  sat  in  a  stooping  posture,  with  open  mouth.  His  wife 
informed  us  that  for  the  last  few  years  his  mind  had  been 
somewhat  impaired.  She  has  a  good  memory,  is  seventy-five 
years  of  age,  intelligent,  and  seemingly  a  great  talker.  We 
announced  that  the  purpose  of  our  visit  was  to  ascertain  some 
facts  from  the  old  settlers,  with  reference  to  the  people  known 
as  Mormons,  who  used  to  live  there,  as  it  is  understood  to  have 
been  the  home  of  the  Smith  family  and  others  at  the  time 
the  Book  of  Mormon  is  alleged  to  have  been  discovered. 

To  this  Mr.  Bryant  in  a  slow  voice  replied,  "Yes,  that  big 
hill  you  saw  coming  along,  is  where  they  say  Joe  Smith  got 
the  plates ;  you  must  have  seen  it  coming  along.  Well,  you  can't 
find  out  much  from  me;  I  don't  know  much  about  them  myself; 
I  have  seen  Joe  Smith  once  or  twice;  they  lived  about  five 
miles  from  where  I  did;  was  not  personally  acquainted  with 
any  of  them — never  went  to  any  of  their  meetings,  and  never 
heard  one  preach." 

What  do  you  know  about  the  character  of  the  family?  How 
were  they  for  honesty.-'  Were  they  industrious  or  lazy?  We 
want  to  know  their  character  among  their  old  neighbors. 

"Well,  I  don't  know  about  that.  I  never  saw  them  work ; 
the  people  thought  young  Joe  was  a  great  liar." 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  27 

What  made  them  think  that? 

"They  thought  he  lied  when  he  said  he  found  that  gold 
bible." 

Before  this  what  was  thought  of  him,  as  to  his  telling  the 
truth? 

"I  never  heard  anything  before  this." 

What  else  did  he  lie  about?  And  how  did  he  get  the  name 
of  being  such  a  great  liar? 

"The  people  said  he  lied  about  finding  the  plates;  I  don't 
know  whether  he  lied  about  anything  else;  they  were  all  a 
kind  of  a  low,  shiftless  set." 

What  do  you  mean  by  that? 

"The  people  said  they  were  awful  poor,  and  poor  managers. 
Joe  was  an  illiterate  fellow.  If  you  come  from  Palmyra,  you 
could  have  got  Tucker's  work  there  and  it  would  have  told  you 
all  about  them.  I  have  read  a  great  deal  about  them." 

Yes,  we  have  seen  Tucker's  work,  but  there  are  too  many 
big  stories  in  that.  Thinking  people  don't  believe  them;  they 
ridicule  them,  and  demand  the  facts;  we  wish  to  get  some  facts 
which  we  can  stand  by. 

"I  don't  know  anything  myself ;  I  wish  I  did.  Have  you  been 
to  see  Mr.  Reed?  He  lives  up  north  of  Manchester;  he  knows." 

Mrs.  Bryant — "My  husband  don't  know  anything  about  them ; 
they  did  not  live  in  the  same  neighborhood  that  we  did,  and 
he  was  not  acquainted  with  them ;  he  don't  know  anything." 

Well,  were  they  drunkards? 

Mr.    Bryant — "Everybody    drank    whiskey    in    them    times." 

Did  you  ever  see  Joe  Smith  drunk  or  drinking? 

"No,  I  can't  say  that  I  did;  I  only  saw  him  once  or  twice, 
when  he  came  to  the  woolen  mill  where  I  worked." 

Did  you  not  see  Joe  drink  sometime? 

"N-o-e." 

Mrs.  Bryant — "He  ought  not  to  say  anything,  for  he  knows 
nothing  about  them;  then  it  has  been  a  long  time  ago." 

Have  you  stated  now  all  that  you  know  about  them? 

Mr.  Bryant — "Yes ;  I  never  knew  much  about  them  anyway." 

Did  you  know  any  of  their  associates — Cowdery,  Harris 
or  others? 

"No,  I  never  knew  any  of  them." 

Mrs.  Bryant — "I  knew  Cowdery;  Lyman  Cowdery,  I  believe, 


28  THE    'iRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

was  his  name.  They  lived  next  door  to  us ;  they  were  low 
shacks, — he  was  a  lawyer, — he  was  always  on  the  wrong  side 
of  every  case,  they  said." 

Did  he  ever  teach  school? 

"No,  not  this  one." 

Did  you  know  any  other  one? 

"No,  I  only  knew  this  one  and  his  family;  I  know  they 
borrowed  my  churn  once,  and  when  it  came  home,  I  had  to 
scour  it  all  over  before  I  used  it.  My  father  owned  the  largest 
house  there  was  in  the  country  at  that  time." 

How  were  they  about  being  honest,  and  telling  the  truth? 

"I  don't  remember  anything  about  that  now." 

Were  they  religious  people — pious? 

"No,  they  did  not  belong  to  any  church;  I  know  they 
didn't,  for  there  were  only  two  churches  there,  the  Baptist  and 
Methodist, — sometimes  the  Universalists  preached  there — they 
did  not  belong  to  either  of  those  churches." 

Mr.  Bryant — "He  [Cowdery]  was  strong  against  the  Masons; 
he  helped  to  write  Morgan's  book,  they  said." 

What  do- you  know,  now,  about  the  Smiths  or  others;  you 
have  lived  here  about  seventy-five  years,  have  you  not,  Mrs. 
Bryant? 

"Yes,  I  have  lived  here  all  my  life,  but  I  never  knew  any- 
thing about  the  Smiths  myself;  you  will  find  it  all  in  Tucker's 
work.  I  have  read  that.  Have  you  been  to  see  Mr.  Booth? 
He  lives  right  up  here,  on  the  road  running  south;  he  knows 
all  about  them,  they  say." 

Very  good;  we  will  call  and  see  him.  Thank  you  for  your 
kindness  in  allowing  us  to  trouble  you. 

"Oh,  it  is  no  trouble;   I  wish  we  knew  more  to  tell  you." 

We  then  called  upon  Mr.  David  Booth,  an  intelligent  gentle- 
man, hale  and  hearty,  and  upwards  of  seventy  years  of  age — and 
made  known  our  business. 

Mr.  Booth  promptly  stated  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the 
Smiths,  or  their  character;  did  not  live  in  their  neighborhood, 
and  never  saw  either  of  them;  did  not  know  anything  about 
them,  or  their  book. 

Did  you  know  the  Cowderys? 

"I  knew  one — the  lawyer." 

What  kind  of  a  character  was  he? 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  29 

"A  low  pettifogger." 

What  do  you  mean  by  that? 

"Why,  he  was  not  a  regular  lawyer,  but  took  small  cases 
and  practiced  before  the  justices  of  the  peace.  We  call  them 
pettifoggers  here." 

What  was  his  given  name? 

"Lyman;  he  never  taught  school;  guess  he  was  no  church 
member;  he  was  a  Mason;  that  was  all  there  was  to  him. 
They  called  him  loose  Cowdery." 

What  did  they  mean  by  that? 

"Why,  he  would  take  small  cases;  would  be  on  the  wrong 
side,  and  pettifog  before  justices,  was  the  reason,  I  suppose." 

Are  you  certain  his  name  was- Lyman?     Wasn't  it  Oliver? 

"It  has  been  a  long  time  ago.  I  think  maybe  his  name 
was  Oliver." 

Did  he  drink? 

"Everybody  drank  then.    I  never  saw  Cowdery  drink." 

Mr.  Bryant,  here  in  the  village,  told  us  that  he  was  a  strong 
Anti-Mason,  and  helped  to  write  Morgan's  work. 

"Oh,  that  is  all  nonsense ;  they  don't  know  anything  about  it. 
Mr.  Bryant  hasn't  been  here  more  than  thirty-five  years;  his 
wife  was  raised  here — is  his  second  wife.  Cowdery  was  a 
strong  Mason,  so  they  all  said;  that  is  all  the  religion  he  had." 

Do  you  know  Rev.  Thorn,  a  Presbyterian  minister  at  Man- 
chester? 

"Yes,   I   know  him." 

What  kind  of  a   fellow  is  he? 

"He  is  a  pretty  sLarp  fellow,  and  will  look  after  his  bread 
and  butter,  you  may  depend  on  that." 

Did  he  ever  interview  you  on  this  subject? 

"No,  sir;  he  never  did." 

Did  he  not  call  to  see  what  you  knew  about  the  Smiths 
and  Cowderys  about  a  year  ago? 

"No,  he  never  did,  to  my  recollection." 

Did  you  know  he  had  a  statement  of  yours  published  in 
Michigan,  in  regard  to  this  last  year? 

"No,  sir;  I  never  heard  of  it  before." 

Did  you  ever  give  him  one  to  publish? 

"I  never  did — did  not  know  he  wanted  one." 

He  will  look  out  for  himself,  will  he? 


30  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

"He  will  that ;  that  is  him." 

You  have  lived  here  all  your  life.  Tell  us  of  some  one  who 
can  tell  us  all  about  the  people  we  wish  to  learn  about — some 
of  the  old  settlers. 

"Squire  Pierce  and  Mr.  Reed  live  a  few  miles  north  from 
here,  in  the  neighborhood  where  the  Smiths  lived;  they  know 
all  about  them,  they  say.  The  Smiths  never  lived  in  this  neigh- 
borhood." 

******* 

Mr.  Pierce  having  referred  us  to  Mr.  Reed,  Orlando  Saun- 
ders,  and  Abel  Chase,  we  took  leave  of  him  and  his  intelligent 
family,  and  called  next  at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Orrin  Reed. 

He  was  at  his  home  doing  some  work  about  the  barn.  He 
is  a  gentleman  of  about  seventy  years  of  age,  hard  of  hearing, 
and  of  pleasant  and  intelligent  countenance.  Breaking  the  object 
of  our  call  to  him,  he  readily  informed  us  that  he  knew  nothing 
whatever  in  regard  to  the  character  of  Joseph  Smith,  or  his 
family. 

Mr.  Reed,  were  you  not  acquainted  with  the  Smith  family, 
or  some  of  those  early  connected  with  them? 

"No,  I  was  not.  I  lived  in  the  town  of  Farmington  when 
the  Smiths  lived  here.  I  knew  nothing  about  any  of  them ; 
was  not  personally  acquainted  with  them,  and  never  heard 
any  of  them  preach,  nor  ever  attended  any  of  their  meetings. 
I  have  seen  Hyrum  Smith.  He  bought  a  piece  of  land  near 
here,  and  lived  on  it  sometime  after  the  others  left;  but  I 
don't  know  anything  against  him." 

We  were  given  your  name  by  a  number  of  persons,  who 
claimed  that  you  did  know  all  about  them,  Mr.  Reed. 

"Is  that  so  ?  Well,  they  are  mistaken ;  I  don't  know  any- 
thing about  it.  I  think  Mr.  Orlando  Saunders,  living  up  on 
the  road  to  Palmyra,  will  know  more  about  that  people  than 
anyone  around  here.  He  was  better  acquainted  with  them,  or 
lived  right  by  them,  and  had  a  better  opportunity  of  knowing 
them." 

Yes,  we  have  his  name  already,  but  have  not  seen  him  yet. 
Do  you  know  Mr.  Thorn,  the  Presbyterian  minister  at  Man- 
chester, over  here? 

"Yes,  I  know  him  slightly." 

Did  you  not  make  a   statement  to   him  in   regard  to  the 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  31 

character  of  these  men;  that  they  were  low  persons,  and  not 
good  associates,  or  something  of  the  kind? 

"I  never  did." 

Did  he  call  on  you  to  find  out  what  you  knew  about  it? 

"No,  sir,  he  never  did ;  at  least  he  never  let  me  know  anything 
about  it  if  he  did." 

Did  you  ever  see  a  statement  he  sent  to  Michigan  last 
year,  and  had  published,  purporting  to  be  what  you  and  others 
knew  about  the  Smiths  and  Cowderys? 

"No,  I  never  did;  did  not  know  that  one  was  ever  published 

before." 

******* 

Early  in  the  evening  we  called  upon  Mr.  John  Gilbert,  at 
his  residence,  and  made  known  our  desire  for  an  interview, 
etc.  He  seemed  quite  free  to  give  us  all  the  information  he  had 
upon  the  subject,  and  said  he  had  been  for  the  past  forty-five 
or  fifty  years  doing  all  he  could  to  find  out  what  he  could  about 
the  Smiths  and  Book  of  Mormon.  He  is  a  man  seventy-nine 
years  of  age,  and  quite  active  even  in  this  time  of  life. 

What  did  you  know  about  the  Smiths,  Mr.  Gilbert? 

"I  knew  nothing  myself;  have  seen  Joseph  Smith  a  few 
times,  but  not  acquainted  with  him.  Saw  Hyrum  quite  often. 
I  am  the  party  that  set  the  type  from  the  original  manuscript 
for  the  Book  of  Mormon.  They  translated  it  in  a  cave.  I 
would  know  that  manuscript  to-day,  if  I  should  see  it.  The 
most  of  it  was  in  Oliver  Cowdery's  handwriting.  Some  in 
Joseph's  wife's;  a  small  part  though.  Hyrum  Smith  always 
brought  the  manuscript  to  the  office;  he  would  have  it  under 
his  coat,  and  all  buttoned  up  as  carefully  as  though  it  was 
so  much  gold.  He  said  at  the  time  it  was  translated  from  plates 
by  the  power  of  God,  and  they  were  very  particular  about  it. 
We  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  it.  It  was  not  punctuated 
at  all.  They  did  not  know  anything  about  punctuation,  and  we 
had  to  do  that  ourselves." 

Well;  did  you  change  any  part  of  it  when  you  were  setting 
the  type? 

"No,  sir;  we  never  changed  it  at  all." 

Why  did  you  not  change  it  and  correct  it? 

"Because  they  would  not  allow  us  to;  they  were  very  par- 
ticular about  that.  We  never  changed  it  in  the  least.  Oh,  well; 


32  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

there  might  have  been  one  or  two  words  that  I  changed  the 
spelling  of;  I  believe  I  did  change  the  spelling  of  one,  and 
perhaps  two,  but  no  more." 

Did  you  set  all  of  the  type  or  did  some  one  help  you? 

"I  did  the  whole  of  it  myself,  and  helped  to  read  the 
proof  too;  there  was  no  one  who  worked  at  that  but  myself. 
Did  you  ever  see  one  of  the  first  copies?  I  have  one  here 
that  was  never  bound.  Mr.  Grandin,  the  printer,  gave  it  to  me. 
If  you  ever  saw  a  Book  of  Mormon  you  will  see  that  they 
changed  it  afterwards." 

They  did!  Well,  let  us  see  your  copy;  that  is  a  good  point. 
How  is  it  changed  now? 

"I  will  show  you"  (bringing  out  his  copy).  "Here  on  the 
title  page  it  says"  (reading),  "'Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  author  and 
proprietor.'  Afterwards,  in  getting  out  other  editions  they  left 
that  out,  and  only  claimed  that  Joseph  Smith  translated  it." 

Well,  did  they  claim  anything  else  than  that  he  was  the 
translator  when  they  brought  the  manuscript  to  you? 

"Oh,  no ;  they  claimed  that  he  was  translating  it  by  means 
of  some  instruments  he  got  at  the  same  time  he  did  the  plates, 
and  that  the  Lord  helped  him." 

Was  he  educated,  do  you  know? 

"Oh,  not  at  all  then;  but  I  understand  that  afterwards  he 
made  great  advancement,  and  was  quite  a  scholar  and  orator." 

How  do  you  account  for  the  production  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  Mr.  Gilbert,  then,  if  Joseph  Smith  was  so  illiterate? 

"Well,  that  is  the  difficult  question.  It  must  have  been  from 
the  Spaulding  romance — you  have  heard  of  that,  I  suppose. 
The  parties  here  then  never  could  have  been  the  authors  of  it, 
certainly.  I  have  been  for  the  last  forty-five  or  fifty  years  trying 
to  get  the  key  to  that  thing;  but  we  have  never  been  able  to 
make  the  connecting  yet.  For  some  years  past  I  have  been 
corresponding  with  a  person  in  Salt  Lake,  by  the  name  of  Cobb, 
who  is  getting  out  a  work  against  the  Mormons ;  but  we  have 
never  been  able  to  find  what  we  wanted." 

If  you  could  only  connect  Sidney  Rigdon  with  Smith  some 
way,  you  could  get  up  a  theory. 

"Yes;  that  is  just  where  the  trouble  lies;  the  manuscript 
was  put  in  our  hands  in  August,  1829,  and  all  printed  by  March, 
1830,  and  we  can  not  find  that  Rigdon  was  ever  about  here, 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  35 

or  in  this  state,  until  sometime  in  the  Fall  of  1830.  But  I  think 
I  have  got  a  way  out  of  the  difficult  now.  A  fellow  that  used 
to  be  here,  by  the  name  of  Saunders,  Lorenzo  Saunders,  was  back 
here  some  time  ago,  and  I  was  asking  him  about  it.  At  first 
he  said  he  did  not  remember  of  ever  seeing  Rigdon  until  after 
1830  sometime ;  but  after  studying  it  over  awhile,  he  said  it 
seemed  to  him  that  one  time  he  was  over  to  Smith's,  and  that 
there  was  a  stranger  there  he  never  saw  before,  and  that  they 
said  it  was  Rigdon.  I  told  him  about  Cobb,  of  Utah,  and  asked 
him  if  he  would  send  Cobb  his  affidavit,  that  he  saw  Rigdon 
before  the  book  was  published,  if  he  (Cobb)  would  write  to  him; 
he  finally  said  he  would,  and  I  wrote  to  Cobb  about  it,  and 
gave  Saunders'  address,  and  after  a  long  time,  I  got  a  letter 
from  him,  saying  he  had  written  three  letters  to  Saunders,  and 
could  get  no  answer.  I  then  sat  down  and  wrote  Saunders  a 
letter  myself,  reminding  him  of  his  promise,  and  wrote  to  Cobb 
also  about  it,  and  after  a  long  time  Cobb  wrote  me  again,  that 
Saunders  had  written  to  him;  but  I  have  never  learned  how 
satisfactory  it  was,  or  whether  he  made  the  affidavit  or  not." 

Is  that  Saunders  a  brother  of  the  Saunders  living  down 
here,  Orlando  Saunders? 

"Yes,   sir;    they  are  brothers." 

Is  he  older  or  younger? 

"Younger;  about  fifteen  years  younger." 

Then  he  must  have  been  quite  young  before  the  Book  of 
Mormon  was  published  ? 

"Yes,  he   was  young." 

This  Saunders  down  here  don't  talk  like  a  great  many  people ; 
he  seems  to  think  the  Smiths  were  very  good  people;  we  have 
been  there  to-day. 

"Oh,  I  don't  think  the  Smiths  were  as  bad  as  people  let  on 
for.  Now  Tucker,  in  his  work,  told  too  many  big  things;  no- 
body could  believe  his  stories." 

Did  the  Smiths  ever  dig  for  money? 

"Yes;  I  can  tell  you  where  you  can  find  persons  who  know 
all  about  that;  can  take  you  to  the  very  place." 

Can  you?     All  right,  give  us   their  names. 

"The  Jackaway  boys — two  old  bachelors,  and  their  sister,  an 
old  maid,  live  together,  right  up  the  street  going  north,  near 


34  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

the  north  part  of  the  town;  they  can  tell  you  all  about  it, 
and  show  you  the  very  places  where  they  dug." 

What  will  you  take  for  your  copy  of  the  Book  of  Mormon; 
or  will  you  sell  it? 

"Yes,  I  will  sell  it." 

How  much  for  it? 

"I  will  take  Five  Hundred  Dollars  for  it,  and  no  less;  I 
have  known  them  to  sell  for  more  than  that." 

Well,  I  am  not  buying  at  those  figures,  thank  you.  What 
kind  of  a  man  was  Martin  Harris? 

"He  was  a  very  honest  farmer,  but  very  superstitious." 

What  was  he  before  his  name  was  connected  with  the  Book 
of  Mormon? 

"Not  anything,  I  believe;  he  was  a  kind  of  a  skeptic." 

What  do  you  mean  by  his  being  superstitious?  Was  he  re- 
ligious ? 

"Well,  I  don't  know  about  that;  but  he  pretended  to  see 
things." 

What  do  you  think  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  as  a  book;  you 
are  well  posted  in  it? 

"Oh,  there  is  nothing  taught  in  the  book  but  what  is  good; 
there  is  no  denying  that;  it  is  the  claim  of  being  from  God 
that  I  strike  at." 

Well,  is  it  any  more  wonderful  than  that  God  gave  the 
Bible? 

"No,  not  a  bit;  and  there  is  a  good  deal  more  evidence 
to  show  that  that  is  divine  than  there  is  for  some  of  the  books 
in  the  Bible.  Why,  it  is  all  nonsense  to  think  that  Moses  wrote 
some  of  the  books  attributed  to  him,  in  the  Bible." 

Then  you  don't  believe  the  "fish  story,"  either,  Mr.  Gil- 
bert? 

"No;  nor  that  Jonah  swallowed  the  whale." 

How  about  Sampson  catching  the  three  hundred  foxes,  and 
the  firebrands? 

"Yes,  that  is  a  good  one ;  you  fellows  will  do." 

Much  obliged,  Mr.  Gilbert. 

"You  are  quite  welcome.  I  wish  I  could  give  you  more 
than  I  have." — From  Palmyra  to  Independence,  pp.  342-368. 

Others  who  were  interviewed  at  the  time  that  the 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  35 

foregoing  persons  were  seen,  were  Ezra  Pierce,  Orlando 
Saunders,  Abel  Chase,  the  Jackaway  brothers,  Dr.  John 
Stafford  and  Thomas  Taylor.  Mr.  Pierce  was  made  to 
say  that  he  knew  the  Smiths ;  that  Joseph  was  ignorant ; 
that  he  heard  he  had  dug  for  money,  and  that  the  people 
thought  the  family  were  counterfeiters ;  the  conversation 
ending  with  a  discussion  on  the  divinity  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  the  gift  of  tongues,  etc.  Mr.  Saunders  stated 
that  they  had  come  to  a  poor  place  to  find  out  anything; 
that  he  knew  the  Smiths  well;  that  "they  were  very 
good  people,"  "the  best  family  in  the  neighborhood  in  the 
case  of  sickness;"  that  Harris  was  an  honorable  man, 
and  that  Joseph  was  "always  a  gentleman."  Mr.  Chase 
>aid  that  the  family  were  poorly  educated,  ignorant,  super- 
stitious and  shiftless  and  that  Joseph  used  a  "peepstone." 
The  Jackaways  stated  that  they  had  seen  the  Smiths  a 
number  of  times ;  that  they  knew  them ;  that  they  heard 
they  had  dug  for  money ;  that  Joseph  and  his  father  got 
drunk  on  cider  once,  and  that  Harris  and  the  Cowderys 
were  good  people.  Dr.  Stafford  told  the  interviewers  that 
Joseph  "was  a  real  clever,  jovial  boy;"  that  the  Smiths 
dug  for  money;  that  Joseph  got  drunk  once  on  boiled 
cider;  that  he  would  do  a  good  day's  work,  but  was  a 
poor  manager;  that  he  (Stafford)  did  not  believe  the 
story  told  about  Smith  and  the  black  sheep,  which  it  was 
said  the  latter  obtained  from  his  father;  that  Cowdery 
was  a  man  of  good  character;  that  Harris  was  an  hon- 
orable farmer,  and  that  he  could  not  connect  Rigdon 
with  Smith  before  the  Book  of  Mormon  appeared. 
Mr.  Taylor  stated  that  the  Smiths  were  "nice  men," 
ahead  of  the  people  of  their  time;  that  they  had  been 
persecuted;  that  the  people  who  told  things  about  them 
were  d — d  liars ;  that  he  thought  that  Smith  had  really 
found  plates  in  Mormon  Hill ;  that  he  had  never  seen  the 


36  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Book  of  Mormon,  and  that  Rev.  Mr.  Thorne  was  stuck 
up  and  was  preaching  for  his  bread  and  butter. 

If  these  reports  of  the  interviews  of  the  Kelleys  with 
the  old  residents  of  Palmyra  and  vicinity  were  correct 
and  truthful,  there  is  no  question  that  the  characters  of 
Smith  and  Cowdery  would  be  cleared  somewhat,  though 
not  entirely,  from  the  stigma  that  has  been  attached  to 
them,  for,  according  to  these  reports,  some  of  those  in- 
terviewed seem  to  have  had  a  better  opinion  of  them  than 
they  have  generally  been  considered  worthy  of.  But, 
unfortunately  for  the  Smiths  and  Cowdery  in  particular 
and  the  Mormon  Church  in  general,  the  interviewers 
are  charged  with  having  taken  undue  liberties  and  not 
publishing  the  questions  and  answers  exactly  as  they 
were  given.  No  sooner  did  the  reports  of  these  inter- 
views appear  than  at  least  three  of  the  parties  concerned 
indignantly  and  emphatically  denied  under  oath  ever  mak- 
ing some  of  the  answers  attributed  to  them,  two  of  them 
reaffirming  what  had  appeared  over  their  names  in  the 
article  in  the  Cadillac  News  written  by  Rev.  Mr.  Thorne. 
Their  affidavits  follow: 

Danford  Booth,  of  the  town  of  Manchester  and  county  of 
Ontario,  N.  Y.,  being  duly  affirmed,  deposes:  He  has  read  the 
article  in  the  Cadillac  Weekly  News  of  April  6th,  1880,  re- 
specting "Cowdery  and  the  Smith  family,"  over  the  signature 
of  C.  C.  Thorne.  The  interview  therein  mentioned  between 
deponent  and  Thorne  did  take  place.  The  matters  therein  set 
forth,  alleged  to  have  been  stated  by  the  deponent  to  Thorne, 
were  so  stated  by  deponent  to  Thorne.  He  has  read  also  in  a 
paper  called  the  Saints'  Herald,  of  June  ist,  1881,  an  article 
purporting  to  give  what  was  said  in  an  interview  between  W.  H. 
Kelley  and  another  party  and  the  deponent,  in  which  it  is  stated 
that  deponent  informed  said  parties  that  deponent  and  Thorne 
never  had  an  interview  as  alleged  by  Thorne.  Deponent  de- 
clares that  he  did  not  so  inform  said  parties,  ^nd  thM  he  has 


ZfORMOX   POLYGAMY  37 

no  recollection  of   such  a  question  being  asked  him  by  them. 

(Signed)  DANFORD  BOOTH. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me,  July  ist,  1881. 

(Signed)  N.  K.  COLE,  J.  P. 

Orrin  Reed,  of  the  township  of  Manchester,  county  of  Onta- 
rio, N.  Y.,  being  duly  affirmed,  deposes :  His  age  is  77.  He  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Farmington,  about  four  miles  from  what  is 
called  "Mormon  Hill."  During  the  last  forty-six  years  he  has 
resided  in  the  town  of  Manchester,  and  in  the  same  school  district 
in  which  Joseph  Smith  and  family,  of  Mormon  notoriety,  re- 
sided, and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  "Mormon  Hill."  He 
has  read  an  article  published  in  the  Cadillac  News  of  April  6th, 
1880,  respecting  "Cowdery  and  the  Smith  family,"  over  the 
signature  of  C.  C.  Thorne.  The  matters  therein  set  forth  and 
alleged  to  have  been  stated  by  deponent  to  Thorne  were  so 
stated  by  deponent,  at  the  time  and  in  the  manner  stated  in  said 
published  article.  (Signed)  ORRIN  REED. 

Affirmed  and  subscribed  before  me,  June  29th,  1881. 

(Signed)  N.  K.  COLE,  J.  P. 

John  H.  Gilbert,  of  the  town  of  Palmyra,  Wayne  county, 
N.  Y.,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes :  That  in  the  article  published  in 
the  Saints'  Herald,  at  Piano,  111.,  June  1st,  1881,  over  the  signa- 
ture of  VV.  H.  Kelley,  purporting  to  give  an  interview  with  the 
deponent  on  Mormonism,  the  deponent  is  grossly  misrepresented 
in  almost  every  particular.  Words  are  put  in  the  mouth  of  the 
deponent  that  he  never  uttered.  The  pretended  answers  to 
questions  that  the  deponent  did  answer,  are  totally  at  variance 
with  the  answers  that  the  deponent  really  gave.  The  deponent 
believes  that  such  misrepresentation  was  done  designedly. 

(Signed)  JOHN  H.  GILBERT. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me,  July  I2th,  1881. 

(Signed)  M.  C.  FINLEY,  J.  P. 

Mr.  Gilbert,  in  regard  to  this  interview,  wrote  the 
following  letter  to  Mr.  Thomas  Gregg,  of  Hamilton, 
Illinois,  dated  at  Palmyra,  New  York,  June  19,  1881 : 

I  am  in  receipt  of  the  Saints'  Herald  you  sent  me,  also  your 
letter.  I  had  received  a  Herald  several  days  before  I  received 
the  one  you  sent,  probably  from  Kelley,  who  signs  the  article. 
His  report  of  the  conversation  had  with  me  is  full  of  misrep- 


38  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

reservations.  In  the  first  paragraph,  Hyrum  said,  "It  was  trans- 
lated from  plates  by  the  power  of  God,"  etc.,  is  utterly  false. 
I  never  had  any  conversation  with  Hyrum  in  regard  to  the  trans- 
lation. In  regard  to  the  change  of  spelling  two  words,  he  words 
my  answer  entirely  different  from  what  I  said  to  him.  I  told 
him  distinctly  that  I  changed  the  spelling  of  one  word,  which  oc- 
curred twice  in  one  form — no  believing  about  it.  The  word 
changed  was  "travail,"  spelled  "travel"  in  both  instances,  show- 
ing that  the  copyist  did  not  know  the  difference.  I  did  not  tell 
him  I  set  all  the  type,  as  he  reports  me  saying.  In  regard  to 
Smith  claiming  to  be  author,  etc.,  I  told  him  I  understood  in  later 
editions  he  only  claimed  to  be  translator,  etc.;  the  balance  of 
the  story  in  regard  to  this  authorship,  is  all  his  own  coining  and 
answering.  I  told  Kelley  I  thought  the  Spaulding  MS.  was  the 
foundation  of  the  M.  B.,  and  gave  him  my  reasons  for  thinking 
so.  The  long  paragraph  in  relation  to  Mr.  Cobb  and  Lorenzo 
Saunders  is  a  mixed  mess  of  truth  and  falsehood.  When  I 
asked  Mr.  S.  if  he  knew  whether  Rigdon  was  hanging  around 
Smith  previous  to  the  publication  of  the  M.  B.,  he  said,  "Yes, 
at  least  eighteen  months  before."  There  was  no  hesitancy  about 
it;  and  this  is  what  I  told  Kelly.  You  can  see  how  he  reported 
the  matter.  I  did  not  tell  Kelley  that  I  had  known  a  copy  or 
copies  of  the  M.  B.  to  sell  for  $500,  or  more  than  that;  that  is 
one  of  his  misrepresentations.  What  he  charges  me  with  saying 
about  the  Smiths  and  Tucker's  book,  is  all  his  own  coining. 

Mr.  Jackaway  tells  me  he  tlid  not  tell  Kelley  that  Joe  and 
his  father  got  drunk  on  cider,  but  on  whiskey. 

I  do  know  that  Kelley  has  misrepresented  me  in  his  report 
of  my  answers  and  statements,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  has 
misrepresented  others  also.  What  his  object  was  I  cannot  di- 
vine. He  may  think  it  will  strengthen  the  faith  of  Mormons  a 
little.  Well,  if  people  are  fools  enough  to  believe  in  it,  let 
them;  it  is  no  worse  than  some  other  humbugs. 
******* 

If  you  have  any  Mormon  friends  in  your  vicinity,  who  have 
read  Kelley's  report  in  the  Saints'  Herald,  you  can  say  to  them 
that  he  is  a  great  falsifier,  and  I  consider  him  the  champion 
liar  of  America.  Yours  truly, 

J.   H.   GILBERT. 

The  bold,  but  unsuccessful,   attempt  of  the   Kelley 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  39 

brothers  to  relieve  the  character  of  Smith  from  the  stigma 
that  has  so  long  been  attached  to  it  is  only  another 
example  of  the  extreme  to  which  Mormonism  has  gone, 
while  the  denials  of  Reed,  Booth  and  Gilbert  leave  Smith's 
reputation  just  about  where  it  was  before. 

FIRST   INTIMATIONS   OF   POLYGAMY. 

It  can  no  longer  be  successfully  maintained  that  Mor- 
mon polygamy  was  an  after-thought,  first  conceived  of 
and  practiced  at  Nauvoo,  for  the  facts  that  have  leaked 
out  all  tend  to  show  that  it  was  one  of  the  first  prin- 
ciples of  the  Mormon  faith  that  entered  into  Smith's 
mind.  Indeed,  so  convincing  are  these  facts  that  a  certain 
Gentile  scoffer1  suggests  that  the  first  revelation  on  the 
subject  may  have  come  during  the  period  of  pubescence, 
if  not  before,  while  no  less  an  authority  than  Apostle 
Orson  Pratt  publicly  declared  that  the  principle  was  first 
made  known  to  the  Prophet  in  the  year  1831,  though  he 
claims  that  the  latter  did  not  enter  upon  its  practice  until 
some  ten  years  afterwards. 

As  the  laws  of  those  States  in  which  the  Mormons 
had  their  principal  centers  were  particularly  rigid  against 
the  crimes  of  adultery  and  bigamy,  Smith  took  great 
pains  to  keep  his  practices  secret,  and  this  is,  undoubtedly, 
the  reason  why  the  evidences  of  plural  wifery  were  so 
meager  before  1842,  when  Bennett  came  out  with  his 
expose.  Suffice  it  to  say,  however,  that  the  conduct  of 
the  leading  Mormons  prior  to  that  date  was  of  such  a 
character  as  to  raise  the  suspicions  of  their  Gentile  neigh- 
bors that  some  form  of  immorality  was  practiced  among 
them. 

Whenever  one  of  Smith's  confederates  turned  traitor 
and  revealed  the  immoral  conduct  of  his  chief,  he  was 

1  Dr.  Wyl,  "Mormon  Portraits,"  p.  93. 


40  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

promptly  cut  off  from  the  church,  often  on  the  same 
charge  that  he  had  made  against  Smith  and  generally 
without  a  hearing,  while  his  accusations  were  met  with 
emphatic  denials  and  protestations  of  innocence.  The 
Prophet's  own  denials  and  protestations  were  sometimes 
accompanied  with  certificates  of  good  character  signed  by 
numbers  of  his  followers,  plenty  of  whom  could  be  found 
willing  to  attach  their  names  to  such  a  statement.  Many 
of  these  were  undoubtedly  ignorant  of  his  private  life 
and  signed  their  names  in  good  faith,  but  some  of 
them,  who  had  been  let  into  his  secrets,  knowingly  signed 
a  falsehood,  having  been  taught  that  it  was  right  and 
proper  to  lie  in  the  interests  of  the  church  and  the 
"Lord's  Anointed."  * 

That  Smith  had  in  mind  the  introduction  of  polygamy 
into  the  church,  when  he  was  pretending  to  translate 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  is  proved  by  the  qualifying  clause 
of  the  passage  prohibitive  of  polygamy  in  that  book, 
"For  if  I  will,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  raise  up  seed 
unto  me,  I  will  command  my  people ;  otherwise  they 
shall  hearken  unto  these  things."  This  qualifying  clause 
was,  without  doubt,  intended  to  be  a  suggestion  to  the 
believers  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  that  God  might,  at 
some  future  time,  command  his  people  to  practice  plural 
wifery. 

That  Joseph,  at  this  time,  was  not  opposed  to  the 
principle  is  proved  by  the  testimony  of  Rev.  Levi  Lewis, 
an  uncle  of  his  wife,  who  says: 

I  heard  Joseph  Smith  and  Martin  Harris  both  say  that 
adultery  was  no  crime.  I  saw  him  three  times  intoxicated  while 
he  was  composing  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  heard  him  use  lan- 
guage of  the  greatest  profanity. 


1  See    the   affidavits    of   Law,    Robinson    and    Morse    and    the    statement 
of  Sidney  Rigdon. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  41 

After  the  Mormons  had  settled  at  Kirtland,  a  num- 
ber of  things  leaked  out  which  have  given  the  Gentiles  the 
right  to  suspect  that  the  Prophet  was  not  the  pure,  vir- 
tuous servant  of  the  Lord  he  let  on  to  be.1  W.  W. 
Phelps  stated  that,  while  he  was  translating  the  Book  of 
Abraham,  he  said  that  polygamy  would  yet  be  a  practice 
of  the  church.  W.  S.  Smith  declared  that  spiritual 
wifery  was  so  much  talked  of  in  Kirtland  that  it  became 
a  byword  on  the  street,  while  J.  M.  Atwater  stated  that 
Martin  Harris  told  him  that  the  doctrine  was  first  an- 
nounced as  a  revelation  by  Rigdon  in  a  meeting  of  the 
church  officials  held  in  an  old  building  near  the  temple. 
Fanny  Brewer,  who  for  a  time  lived  with  the  Saints  at 
Kirtland,  but  who  afterwards  apostatized  because  of  the 
evil  and  dishonest  practices  of  the  church  leaders,  made 
a  statement  at  Boston,  Massachusetts,  before  Bradford 
Sumner,  J.  P.,  September  13,  1842,  nearly  two  years 
before  Smith's  assassination,  part  of  which  is  as  follows : 

In  the  spring  of  1837,  I  left  Boston  for  Kirtland,  in  all  good 
faith,  to  assemble  with  the  Saints,  as  I  thought,  and  worship 
God  more  perfectly.  On  my  arrival,  I  found  brother  going  to 


1  An  attempt  was  made  at  the  close  of  the  celebrated  Braden-Kelley 
debate  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  in  1884,  to  get  testimonies  from  the  old  residents 
of  Kirtland  favorable  to  the  Smiths  and  their  followers.  Sworn  state- 
ments were  obtained  from  Reuben  P.  Harmon,  A.  E.  Sanborn,  J.  M. 
Plaisted,  Ezra  Bond  and  F.  C.  Rich.  These  witnesses  seemed  to  know 
little  one  way  or  another,  but  generally  stated  that  the  character  of  the 
Mormon  leaders  was  usually  considered  good,  although  one  of  them  stated 
that  there  were  reports  about  them.  That  their  testimony  can  have  but 
little  weight  will  be  seen  from  two  significant  facts:  first,  none  of  them 
were  connected  with  the  church,  hence  could  not  know  what  was  going  on 
on  the  inside;  and,  secondly,  most  of  them  were  too  young  at  the  time 
the  Smiths  left  in  1838  (some  of  the  other  leaders  left  before  that  year) 
to  know  much  about  them  personally,  Harmon  being  twenty-three;  Rich, 
seventeen;  Bond,  twelve,  and  Plaisted,  only  seven,  while  Sanborn  did 
not  move  to  Kirtland  until  1836.  At  the  same  time,  one  of  Braden's 
witnesses,  William  S.  Smith,  testified  that  the  report  was  circulated  before 
the  Mormons  left  Kirtland  that  Rigdon  had  fallen  out  with  Smith  because 
the  latter  wanted  his  daughter,  Nancy,  sealed  to  him. 

(4) 


42  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

law  with  brother,  drunkenness  prevailing  to  a  great  extent, 
and  every  species  of  wickedness.  Joseph  Smith,  a  prophet  of 
God,  (as  he  called  himself,)  was  under  arrest  for  employing  two 
of  the  Elders  to  kill  a  man  by  the  name  of  Grandison  Newell, 
belonging  to  Mentor;  but  was  acquitted,  as  the  most  material 
witness  did  not  appear ! ! !  I  am  personally  acquainted  with  one 
of  the  employees,  Davis  by  name,  and  he  frankly  acknowledged 
to  me,  that  he  was  prepared  to  do  the  deed  under  the  direction 
of  the  Prophet,  and  was  only  prevented  from  so  doing  by  the 
entreaties  of  his  wife.  There  was  much  excitement  against  the 
Prophet,  on  another  account,  likewise, — an  unlawful  intercourse 
between  himself  and  a  young  orphan  girl  residing  in  his  family, 
and  under  his  protection ! ! !  Mr.  Martin  Harris  told  me  that  the 
Prophet  was  most  notorious  for  lying  and  licentiousness ! ! 

In  the  year  1835,  when  the  "Book  of  Doctrine  and 
Covenants"  was  compiled,  a  section  on  marriage  was 
inserted,  one  article  of  which  reads: 

All  legal  contracts  of  marriage  made  before  a  person  is 
baptized  into  this  church,  should  be  held  sacred  and  fulfilled.  In- 
asmuch as  this  Church  of  Christ  has  been  reproached  with  the 
crime  of  fornication  and  polygamy:  we  declare  that  we  believe 
that  one  man  should  have  one  wife;  and  one  woman  but  one 
husband,  except  in  case  of  death  when  either  is  at  liberty  to 
marry  again. 

This  article  shows  that,  at  this  early  date,  both  forni- 
cation and  polygamy  were  charged  against  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  and  it  was  evidently  intended  to  appear  as 
a  denial  of  the  charge.  In  reality,  however,  it  is  a  mere 
subterfuge,  for,  while  it  denies  a  belief  in  polyandry,  a 
practice  never  charged  against  the  Mormons,  it  does  not 
necessarily  deny  a  belief  in  polygamy.  The  restrictive 
adverb  "but,"  which  appears  before  "one  husband,"  is 
omitted  before  "one  wife,"  on  account  of  which  the 
Brighamites,  who  employed  this  ceremony  in  their  po- 
lygamous marriages,  construe  it  to  mean :  "One  man 
should  have  one  wife,  at  least,  and  one  woman  but  one 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  43 

husband."  Besides,  notice,  also,  that  fornication  alone 
is  said  to  be  a  crime.  This  is  only  another  case  where 
language  has  been  made  to  quiet  the  suspicions  of  the 
Gentiles,  while  at  the  same  time  it  does  not  necessarily 
deny  the  practices  of  the  Mormons. 

By  the  year  1838,  the  opinion  had  become  so  general 
that  the  Mormons  taught  and  practiced  certain  obnoxious 
doctrines  that  it  became  necessary,  in  order  to  quiet  the 
public  mind,  for  Joseph  Smith  to  publish  a  number  of 
questions  that  were  repeatedly  propounded  to  him,  and 
his  answers  to  the  same.  The  seventh  reads : 

"Do  the  Mormons  believe  in  having  more  wives  than  one?" 
No,  not  at  the  same  time.  But  they  believe  that  if  their  com- 
panion dies,  they  have  the  right  to  marry  again. — Millennial 
Star,  Vol.  XVI.,  p.  150. 

In  a  letter  to  the  church,  dated  December  16,  1838, 
which  was  published  in  the  same  paper,  Vol.  XVI., 
page  627,  Joseph  says: 

We  have  heard  that  it  is  reported  by  some,  that  some  of  us 
should  have  said,  that  we  not  only  dedicated  our  property,  but 
our  families  also  to  the  Lord;  and  Satan,  taking  advantage  of 
this,  has  transfigured  it  into  licentiousness,  such  as  a  community 
of  wives,  which  is  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God.1 

That  Smith  was  boldly  accused  of  adultery  by  some 
of  the  other  leaders  of  the  Mormon  Church,  is  proved 
by  one  of  the  charges  preferred  against  Oliver  Cowdery 
on  April  n,  1838: 

2nd.  For  seeking  to  destroy  the  character  of  President  Joseph 
Smith,  Junior,  by  falsely  insinuating  that  he  was  guilty  of 
adultery. — Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XVI.,  p.  133. 

Parley  P.  Pratt,  in  a  letter  to  the  Millennial  Star,  Vol. 
III.,  page  74,  says: 


See  also  Times  and  Seasons  for  April,  1840,  for  a  similar  admission. 


44  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN  OF 

But  for  the  information  of  those  who  may  be  assailed  by 
those  foolish  tales  about  the  two  wives,  we  would  say  that  no 
such  principle  ever  existed  among  the  Latter  Day  Saints  and 
never  will. 

The  foregoing  was  written  in  August,  1842,  and  shows 
that  the  report,  that  the  Mormons  believed  in  polygamy, 
had  even  reached  England  at  that  early  date. 

The  same  writer,  in  1840,  in  his  "Persecutions  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints,"  page  10,  states  that  it  was  a  belief 
held  by  the  "ignorant"  of  Missouri  that  the  Mormons 
allowed  "unlawful  intercourse  between  the  sexes." 

I  must,  however,  before  leaving  this  subject,  contradict  certain 
reports  concerning  our  principles  in  regard  to  property,  and  also 
in  regard  to  matrimony.  ...  It  is  also  a  current  report  among 
the  ignorant  that  we  do  away  (with)  matrimony,  and  that  we 
allow  unlawful  intercourse  between  the  sexes.  Now  this  idea 
originated  and  lias  been  kept  alive  by  wicked  and  designing 
persons,  and  by  the  credulity  of  those  who  are  more  ready  to 
believe  falsehood  than  they  are  to  believe  truth.  There  has 
never  been  the  ohadow  of  anything  to  cause  such  a  report. 

In  the  summer  of  1842,  Dr.  John  C.  Bennett  openly 
charged  Smith  with  practicing  polygamy.  That  this  was 
common  report  throughout  the  country  before,  is  proved 
by  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  James 
Arlington  Bennett  to  Joseph  Smith  from  the  Arlington 
House,  New  York,  August  16,  1842: 

You  have  nothing  to  expect  from  that  part  of  community 
who  are  bigotedly  attached  to  the  other  churches.  They  have 
always  believed  and  still  believe  everything  said  to  your  dis- 
advantage; and  what  General  John  C.  Bennett  is  now  saying 
in  the  papers  is  nothing  more  than  what  was  common  report 
before,  throughout  this  whole  community,  insomuch  that  I  had 
to  contradict  it  in  the  Herald  under  the  signature  of  "Cincin- 
natus,"  and  even  requested  the  Elders  of  the  Mormon  Church 
to  do  so  long  ago. — Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XIX.,  p.  711. 

These  quotations,  from  Mormon  publications,  show 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  45 

conclusively  that  there  was  a  generally  prevailing  opin- 
ion, even  before  the  year  1840,  that  the  Mormons  were 
guilty  of  practicing  polygamy  or  licentiousness,  while 
their  persistent  denials  count  for  little  when  viewed 
either  from  the  viewpoint  of  their  reputation  for  veracity, 
their  subsequent  history  or  their  later  admissions. 


46  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  Bennett  Expose — Bennett  Unites  with  the  Mormons — Ben- 
nett Apostatizes  and  Exposes  Joseph  Smith — The  Denials  of 
the  Mormon  Church  to  Bennett's  Charges — Bennett's  Charges 
Sustained. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1839,  Joseph  Smith  and  his 
family  left  Quincy,  Illinois,  where  they  had  found  a 
refuge  and  a  welcome  in  their  flight  from  Missouri,  and 
on  the  loth  reached  the  little  village  of  Commerce,  in 
Hancock  County,  where  land  had  been  purchased  for  a 
Mormon  settlement  and  which  became  the  gathering- 
point  for  the  scattered  bands  of  the  Mormon  people.  On 
the  2ist  of  April,  1840,  the  name  of  this  place  was 
changed  to  Nauvoo,  "The  Beautiful,"  and,  on  the  i6th 
of  the  following  December,  charters  were  granted  to  the 
city  of  Nauvoo,  the  Nauvoo  Legion  and  the  Nauvoo 
University. 

The  year  1841  opened  with  the  brightest  prospects 
for  the  Mormon  people.  Their  Prophet  and  leading 
officials  had  escaped  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Missourians ; 
they  had  found  refuge  in  a  State  whose  citizens  were 
particularly  friendly  to  them;  they  had  begun  a  city 
which  claimed  three  thousand  inhabitants ;  their  ministry 
had  been  eminently  successful  both  at  home  and  abroad ; 
and  proselytes  were  flocking  in  daily  to  add  to  the 
strength  and  glory  of  Nauvoo.  Under  these  hopeful 
conditions,  the  corner-stone  of  a  large  temple  was  laid 
with  appropriate  ceremonies  on  the  6th  of  April,  1841, 
and,  at  a  conference  held  immediately  after,  larger  plans 
were  laid  for  future  work. 


THE  MORMON  TEMPLE  AT  NAUVOO,  ILLINOIS. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  47 

With  these  bright  prospects  before  them,  there  is 
no  question  that  the  Mormon  people  would  have  made 
phenomenal  success  at  Nauvoo  had  they  kept  out  of 
politics  and  devilment.  But  it  seems  that  this  was  an 
impossible  thing  for  them  to  do.  Instead  of  being  con- 
tent simply  to  preach  their  religious  tenets,  they  allowed 
themselves  to  be  carried  away  with  the  spirit  of  revenge, 
bigotry,  greed  and  a  desire  for  political  power,  which 
finally  resulted  in  their  overthrow,  and  the  ten  years 
which  followed  their  establishment  at  Nauvoo  saw  their 
Prophet  slain,  their  warmest  friends  become  their  bitter- 
est enemies,  their  city  given  into  Gentile  hands  and  their 
church  broken  up  into  a  number  of  contending  factions. 

DR.   JOHN    C.   BENNETT  UNITES  WITH    THE   MORMONS. 

No  sooner  had  the  Mormons  become  fully  settled 
at  Nauvoo  than  a  star  arose  upon  their  horizon  which 
was  destined  to  fill  a  conspicuous  place  in  their  galaxy, 
and,  after  a  brief  but  spectacular  career,  to  fall  into  the 
darkness  of  obscurity.  This  star  was  Dr.  John  C.  Ben- 
nett, "Quartermaster-General  of  the  State  of  Illinois/' 
He  was  a  man  of  considerable  talent  and  education,  but 
of  arrogant  self-conceit,  domineering  ways  and  engross- 
ing lust,  and  had  the  reputation  of  being  "one  of  the 
greatest  scamps  in  the  Western  country." 

His  connection  with  Smith  began  through  a  series 
of  friendly  and  complimentary  letters  which  he  wrote  the 
Prophet  during  the  summer  of  1840  and  which  resulted 
in  him  finally  uniting  with  the  Mormon  Church.  Al- 
though he  never  filled  any  ecclesiastical  position  of  im- 
portance,1 he  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  Prophet  on 

1  Heman  C.  Smith  ("Church  History,"  Vol.  II.,  p.  460)  says  that 
Bennett  "held  no  high  position  of  trust  in  the  church,"  but  the  Times 
and  Seasons,  Vol.  II.,  p.  387,  says:  "Gen.  J.  C.  Bennett  was  presented 


48  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

account  of  his  political  influence  and  became,  in  a  secular 
sense,  his  chief  counselor.  At  a  conference  held  at 
Nauvoo  in  October,  1840,  he,  with  Joseph  Smith  and 
R.  B.  Thompson,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  draft  a 
bill  for  the  incorporation  of  Nauvoo,  and  he  was  chosen 
delegate  to  visit  Springfield  and  urge  its  adoption  by 
the  Legislature.  Through  his  influence,  it  successfully 
passed  both  houses,  and  became  a  law  by  the  Governor's 
signature,  December  16,  1840,  and,  on  the  ist  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1841,  Bennett  was  elected  first  mayor  of  the  newly 
incorporated  city.  Subsequently,  he  became  chancellor 
of  the  Nauvoo  University  and  major-general  of  the 
Nauvoo  Legion  (Joseph  Smith  being  chosen  lieutenant- 
general),  which  body  of  troops  owed  its  organization, 
discipline  and  equipment  largely  to  his  military  knowl- 
edge, skill  and  prestige. 

At  the  time  that  Bennett  united  with  the  Mormons, 
the  following  blessing  was  pronounced  upon  his  head  by 
Hyrum  Smith: 

A  Blessing  pronounced  on  the  head  of  J.  C.  Bennett,  son  of 
J.  and  N.  Bennett,  born  in  the  town  of  Fair  Haven,  Bristol 
County,  Massachusetts,  August  3,  A.  D.  1804,  by  Hyrum  Smith, 
Patriarch  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints, 
September  21,  1840. 

John  C.  Bennett — I  lay  my  hands  upon  your  head  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  inasmuch  as  thou  art  a  son  of  Abraham,  I 
bless  you  with  the  holy  priesthood,  with  all  its  graces,  and  gifts, 
and  with  wisdom  in  all  the  mysteries  of  God.  Thou  shalt  have 
knowledge  given  thee,  and  shalt  understand  the  keys  by  which 
all  mysteries  shall  oe  unlocked.  Thou  shalt  have  great  power 
among  the  children  of  men,  and  shalt  have  influence  among 
the  great  and  the  noble,  even  to  prevail  on  many  and  bring  them 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Thou  shalt  prevail  over  thy 
enemies ;  and  shalt  know  when  thou  hast  gained  power  over 

with  the  First  Presidency,  as  Assistant  President,  until  President  Rigdon's 
health  should  be  restored." 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  49 

them,  and  in  this  thine  heart  shall  rejoice.  Many  souls  shall 
believe  because  of  the  proclamation  which  thou  shalt  make.  The 
Holy  Spirit  shall  rest  upon  thee,  insomuch  that  thy  voice  shall 
make  the  foundation  on  which  thou  standest  to  shake, — so  great 
shall  be  the  power  of  God. 

His  favor  shall  rest  upon  thee  in  dreams  and  visions,  which 
shall  manifest  the  glory  of  God.  Beloved  brother,  if  thou  art 
faithful,  thou  .shalt  have  power  to  heal  the  sick;  cause  the  lame 
to  leap  like  an  hart;  the  deaf  to  hear;  and  the  dumb  to  speak, 
and  their  voice  shall  salute  thine  ears;  thy  soul  shall  be  made 
glad  and  thy  heart  shall  rejoice  in  God.  Thou  shalt  be  like  unto 
Paul,  who,  according  to  his  own  words,  was  like  "one  born  out 
of  due  time,"  and  shalt  have  the  visions  of  heaven  open,  even 
as  they  were  to  him. 

Thy  name  shall  be  known  in  many  nations,  and  thy  voice 
shall  be  heard  among  many  people.  Yea,  unto  many  of  the 
remnants  of  Israel  shalt  thou  be  known,  and  when  they  shall 
hear  of  thy  coming  they  shall  rejoice,  and  thou  shalt  proclaim 
the  gospel  unto  many  tribes  of  the  house  of  Israel. 

If  thou  shouldst  step  aside  from  the  path  of  rectitude  at  any 
time  because  of  temptation,  the  Lord  shall  call  after  thee,  because 
of  the  integrity  of  thine  heart,  and  thou  shalt  return  to  the  path 
from  whence  thou  hast  strayed,  for  God  shall  illume  the  path 
by  the  light  of  his  everlasting  covenant,  and  with  its  light  thou 
shalt  keep  the  way. 

God  is  with  thee,  and  hast  wrought  upon  thine  heart  to  come 
up  to  this  place,  that  thou  mayest  be  satisfied  that  the  servants  of 
God  dwell  here.  God  shall  reward  thee  for  thy  kindness,  and 
thou  shalt  be  fully  satisfied  hereafter.  Thy  soul  shall  be  en- 
larged, thy  mind  shall  be  clear,  and  thy  judgment  informed,  and 
the  knowledge  of  all  these  things  shall  be  made  clear  to  thy 
understanding.  Thou  wilt  have  to  pass  through  tribulation, 
but  thou  shalt  remember  the  promises  of  the  Lord,  and  shalt  be 
comforted,  and  shalt  have  the  greater  manifestations  of  the 
power  of  God. 

Thou  must  travel  and  labor  for  Zion,  for  this  is  the  mind 
and  will  of  God.  Let  thy  voice  be  heard,  and  thy  prayers  and 
supplications  and  thy  rejoicings  be  known.  Turn  not  aside 
from  the  truth  for  the  popularity  of  the  world,  but  be  like 
Paul.  Let  God  be  thy  shield  and  buckler,  and  he  shall  shield  thee 


50  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

forever.  Angels  shall  guide  thee,  and  shall  lift  thee  out  ol  many 
dangers,  and  difficulties;  and  after  thou  art  delivered,  them  shah 
know  they  have  done  it,  and  thy  heart  shall  be  comforted. 

Thou  shalt  have  power  over  many  of  thy  friends  and  rela- 
tions, and  shalt  prevail  with  them,  and  when  thou  shalt  reason 
with  them,  it  shall  be  like  Paul  reasoning  with  Felix,  and  they 
shall  tremble  when  they  hear  thy  words.  Thou  shalt  be  blessed 
with  the  blessings  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  if  thou  art 
faithful,  thou  shalt  yet  be  a  Patriarch,  and  the  blessings  thou 
shalt  pronounce  shall  be  sealed  in  heaven.  Thou  shalt  have  an 
inheritance  among  the  Saints  in  time  and  in  eternity,  for  this 
is  the  will  of  God.  If  thou  continue  faithful  and  steadfast  in 
the  Everlasting  Covenant,  thou  shalt  have  power  over  the  winds 
and  the  waves,  and  they  shall  obey  thy  voice  when  thou  shalt 
speak  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  power  of  God  shall  shield  thee  while  thou  art  laboring 
for  Zion.  Thou  shalt  outride  the  storm  of  adversity  with  pa- 
tience, and  shalt  be  crowned  with  immortality  in  the  Celestial 
Kingdom,  when  Christ  shall  descend.  Even  so,  Amen. 

R.  B.  THOMPSON,  Scribe. 

At  least  once,  the  Mormon  deity  recognized  the  work 
of  the  doctor,  and  on  January  19,  1841,  the  following 
revelation  was  given  to  the  Mormon  Prophet  concerning 
him: 

Again,  let  my  servant,  John  C.  Bennett,  help  you  in  your 
labor  in  sending  my  word  to  the  kings  of  the  people  of  the  earth, 
and  stand  by  you,  even  you  my  servant  Joseph  Smith,  in  the 
hour  of  affliction,  and  his  reward  shall  not  fail,  if  he  receive 
counsel;  and  for  his  love  he  shall  be  great;  for  he  shall  be 
mine  if  he  do  this,  saith  the  Lord.  I  have  seen  the  work  which 
he  hath  done,  which  I  accept,  if  he  continue,  and  will  crown 
him  with  blessings  and  great  glory. 

But  Bennett  was  not  only  in  high  favor  with  the 
Mormon  deity,  he  was  also  very  popular  with  the  Mor- 
mon people.  In  the  Times  and  Seasons,  Vol.  II.,  page 
351,  I  find  the  following  extract  from  the  Chicago  Dem- 
ocrat, with  the  editorial  comment  upon  the  same : 

"Gen.  J.  C.  Bennett,  a  very  popular  and  deserving  man,  has 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  51 

been  elected  Mayor  of  Nauvoo,  Hancock  county." — Chicago 
Democrat. 

We  cheerfully  respond  to  the  above  statement  respecting  our 
worthy  Mayor,  and  we  are  indeed  glad  that  any  of  our  friends 
of  the  press  can  nobly  come  forward  and  award  to  faithfulness 
and  integrity  their  due  even  if  found  in  a  Mormon. 

We  would  say,  that  if  untiring  diligence  to  aid  the  afflicted 
and  the  oppressed,  zeal  for  the  promotion  of  literature  and  intel- 
ligence, and  a  virtuous  and  consistent  conduct,  are  evidences  of 
popularity,  &c.,  we*  venture  to  say  that  no  man  deserves  the 
appellations  of  "popular  and  deserving"  more  than  Gen.  J.  C. 
Bennett. 

Again,  in  an  editorial  in  the  same  paper  for  June  I, 
1841,  replying  to  certain  charges  made  against  Bennett 
in  the  Warsaw  Signal,  we  have  the  following : 

It  is  obvious,  that  the  intention  is  to  make  the  community 
believe  that  General  Bennett  is  a  mere  renegade — hypocrite — 
and  all  that  is  base  in  humanity.  But  General  Bennett's  character 
as  a  gentleman,  an  officer,  a  scholar,  and  a  physician,  stands 
too  high  to  need  defending  by  us;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  he  is  in 
the  confidence  of  the  Executive,  holds  the  office  of  Quarter- 
master-General of  this  State,  and  is  well  known  to  a  large  num- 
ber of  persons  of  the  first  respectability  throughout  the  State. 
He  has,  likewise,  been  favorably  known  for  upwards  of  eight 
years  by  some  of  the  authorities  of  the  Church,  and  has  resided 
three  years  in  this  State.  But  being  a  Mormon,  his  virtues 
are  construed  into  defects,  and  is  thought  a  proper  object  of  the 
base,  cowardly,  and  ungentlemanly  attack  of  the  Editor  of  the 
Signal. 

But,  notwithstanding  his  recognition  by  the  Mormon 
deity  and  his  popularity  with  the  Mormon  people,  Bennett 
afterwards  confessed  that  he  had  practiced  duplicity  and 
had  been  insincere  in  his  profession  of  faith  in  Mormon- 
ism,  which  speaks  but  poorly  for  the  omniscience  of  the 
Mormon  god.  He  says  : 

I  find  that  it  is  almost  universally  the  opinion  of  those  who 
have  heard  of  me  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States,  that  I 


52  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

united  myself  to  the  Mormons  from  a  conviction  of  the  truth 
of  their  doctrines,  and  that  I  was,  at  least  for  sometime,  a  convert 
to  their  pretended  religion.  This,  however,  is  a  very  gross  error. 
I  never  believed  in  them  or  their  doctrines.  This  is,  and  indeed 
was,  from  the  first,  well  known  to  my  friends  and  acquaintances 
in  the  western  country,  who  were  well  aware  of  my  reasons 
for  connecting  myself  with  the  Prophet;  which  reasons  I  will 
now  proceed  to  state.  ...  It  at  length  occurred  to  me  that  the 
surest  and  speediest  way  to  overthrow  the  Imposter,  and  ex- 
pose his  iniquity  to  the  world,  would  be  to  profess  myself  a 
convert  to  his  doctrines,  and  join  him  at  the  seat  of  his  do- 
minion. I  felt  confident  that  from  my  standing  in  society,  and 
the  offices  I  held  under  the  state  of  Illinois,  I  should  be  received 
by  the  Mormons  with  open  arms;  and  that  the  course  I  was 
resolved  to  pursue  would  enable  me  to  get  behind  the  curtain, 
and  behold  at  my  leisure,  the  secret  wires  of  the  fabric,  and 
likewise  those  who  moved  them. — Expose  of  Joe  Smith  and 
Mormonism,  pp.  5,  6. 

BENNETT  APOSTATIZES  AND  EXPOSES   JOSEPH   SMITH. 

After  several  months  of  the  closest  intimacy,  Smith 
and  Bennett  fell  out  and  began  to  expose  each  other 
mercilessly.  Bennett  accused  Smith  of  various  crimes 
and  Smith  replied  by  charging  the  same  on  Bennett. 
The  latter  published  his  accusations,  with  the  proof  of 
them,  in  the  Sangamo  Journal  of  Springfield,  Illinois, 
from  the  files  of  which  now  in  the  State  Historical  Li- 
brary I  have  copied  most  of  the  testimony  that  appears  in 
this  chapter,  and  the  Prophet  replied  through  the  Times 
and  Seasons.  ' 

At  first,  it  seems,  Bennett  was  permitted  to  with- 
draw quietly  from  the  church,  Smith,  evidently,  fearing 
that  a  harsher  course  might  impel  the  doctor  to  tell  all 
he  knew  and  thus  uncover  the  secret  practices  of  the 
Mormon  leaders  at  Nauvoo.  On  the  I7th  of  May,  1842, 
the  Prophet  sent  the  following  official  request  to  the 
church  recorder : 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  53 

BRO.  JAMES  SLOAN  : — You  will  be  so  good  as  to  permit 
General  Bennett  to  withdraw  his  name  from  the  Church  Record, 
if  he  desires  to  do  so,  and  this  with  the  best  of  feelings  towards 
you  and  General  Bennett.  JOSEPH  SMITH.' 

This  request  was  granted  and  the  following  note  was 
sent  to  Smith  in  return : 

In  accordance  with  the  above  I  have  permitted  General 
Bennett  to  withdraw  his  membership  from  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints  this  i;th  day  of  May,  1842— the 
best  of  feelings  subsisting  between  all  parties. 

JAMES  SLOAN, 
General  Church  Clerk  and  Recorder. 

On  the  same  date,  Bennett  resigned  the  office  of 
mayor  and  was  forced  by  Smith  to  make  the  following 
affidavit  under  the  threat  of  death  if  he  refused: 


STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  , 

ss. 


s,  •) 

City  of  Nauvoo.    j 

Personally  appeared  before  me,  Daniel  H.  Wells,  an  Alder- 
man of  said  city  of  Nttuvoo,  John  C.  Bennett,  who  being  duly 
sworn  according  to  law,  deposeth  and  saith :  that  he  never  was 
taught  anything  in  the  least  contrary  to  the  strictest  principles  of 
the  gospel,  or  of  virtue,  or  of  the  laws  of  God,  or  man,  under 
any  circumstances,  cr  upon  any  occasion,  either  directly  or  in- 
directly, in  word  or  deed,  by  Joseph  Smith ;  and  that  he  never 
knew  the  said  Smith  to  countenance  any  improper  conduct  what- 
ever, either  in  public  or  private;  and  that  he  never  did  teach 
to  me  in  private  that  an  illegal,  illicit  intercourse  with  females 
was,  under  any  circumstances,  justifiable,  and  that  I  never  knew 
him  so  to  teach  others.  JOHN  C.  BENNETT. 


1  That  Bennett  had  in  his  possession  such  a  writing  on  the  date 
mentioned,  is  proved  by  the  affidavit  of  D.  H.  Wells  (Millennial  Star,  V. 
XIX.,  p.  615).  Wells  says:  "After  signing  and  being  qualified  to  the 
affidavit  aforesaid,  he  requested  to  speak  with  me  at  the  door.  I  followed 
him  out;  he  told  me  some  persons  had  been  lying  about  him,  and  showed 
me  a  writing  granting  him  the  privilege  to  withdraw  from  the  church." 
Joseph  tacitly  admits  the  existence  and  genuineness  of  this  writing,  for 
he  gives  Wells'  affidavit  without  comment  in  his  "Diary,"  and  adds: 
"Daniel  H.  Wells,  Esq.,  is  an  old  resident  in  this  place  and  not  a  Mormon." 


54  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed,  before  me,  this  i^th  day  of  May, 
1842.  DANIEL  H.  WELLS,  Alderman. 

Two  days  later,  on  the  iQth,  he  was  compelled  to  go 
before  the  city  council  and  make  a  statement  which,  as 
published  in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  is  as  follows : 

I  know  what  I  am  about,  and  the  heads  of  the  church  know 
what  they  are  about.  I  expect  I  have  no  difficulty  with  the 
heads  of  the  church.  I  publicly  avow  that  anyone  who  has  said 
that  I  have  stated  that  General  Joseph  Smith  has  given  me  au- 
thority to  hold  illicit  intercourse  with  women  is  a  liar  in  the  face 
of  God;  those  who  have  said  it  are  damned  liars;  they  are 
infernal  liars.  He  never,  either  in  public  or  private,  gave  me  any 
such  authority  or  license  and  any  person  who  states  it  is  a  scoun- 
drel and  a  liar.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  I  should  become  a 
second  Avard  by  withdrawing  from  the  church,  and  that  I  was 
at  variance  with  the  heads  and  should  use  an  influence  against 
them  because  I  resigned  the  office  of  Mayor;  this  is  false.  I 
have  no  difficulty  with  the  heads  of  the  church,  and  I  intend  to 
continue  with  you,  and  hope  the  time  may  come  when  I 
may  be  restored  to  full  confidence  and  fellowship,  and  my  former 
standing  in  the  church ;  and  that  my  conduct  may  be  such  as 
to  warrant  my  restoration ;  and  should  the  time  ever  come  that  I 
may  have  the  opportunity  to  test  my  faith,  it  will  then  be  known 
whether  I  am  a  traitor  or  a  true  man. 

At  this  meeting  of  the  city  council,  Joseph  Smith 
was  chosen  mayor  to  succeed  Bennett,  and  the  following 
resolution  was  drafted  and  adopted: 

Resolved,  By  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Nauvoo.  That 
this  Council  tender  a  vote  of  thanks  to  General  John  C.  Bennett, 
for  his  great  zeal  in  having  good  and  wholesome  laws  adopted 
for  the  government  of  the  city,  and  for  the  faithful  discharge  of 
his  duty  while  Mayor  of  the  same. 

Passed  May  igth,  1842.  JOSEPH  SMITH,  Mayor. 

JAMES  SLOAN,  Recorder.1 

By  the   passing  of   this   resolution,    Smith   and   his 

1  This  resolution  was  published  in  the  Mormon  secular  paper,  the 
Wasp,  May  21,  1842. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  55 

confederates  no  doubt  thought  that  Bennett  might  be 
pacified  and  that  he  might  be  deterred  from  his  avowed 
purpose  of  exposing  the  corruptions  that  existed  at  Nau- 
voo.  But  it  had  no  such  effect,  and  on  the  I5th  of  June 
the  following  notice  of  his  expulsion  from  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  was  published  in 
the  Times  and  Seasons: 

NOTICE. 

The  subscribers,  members  of  the  First  Presidency  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  withdraw  the  hand 
of  fellowship  from  General  John  C.  Bennett  as  a  Christian,  he 
having  been  labored  with  from  time  to  time  to  persuade  him  to 
amend  his  conduct,  apparently  to  no  good  effect. 

JOSEPH    SMITH.         HYRUM   SMITH.         WILLIAM   LAW. 

The  following  members  of  the  Quorum  of  the  Twelve  concur 
in  the  above  sentiments: 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG.  JOHN  E.  PAGE. 

HEBER  C.  KIMBALL.  JOHN  TAYLOR. 

LYMAN  WIGHT.  WILFORD  WOODRUFF. 

WILLIAM  SMITH.  GEORGE  A.  SMITH. 

WILLARD  RICHARDS. 

We  concur  in  the  above  sentiments: 

N.  K.   WHITNEY.          V.   KNIGHT.          GEORGE   MILLER. 
Bishops  of  the  above-mentioned  church. 

NAUVOO,  May  n,  1842. 

There  are  two  important  things  in  the  foregoing 
notice  to  which  I  wish  specially  to  direct  the  reader's 
attention:  First,  the  date,  May  n,  1842,  and,  secondly, 
the  conspicuous  absence  of  the  names  of  President  Sid- 
ney Rigdon  and  Apostle  Orson  Pratt,  with  the  substitu- 
tion of  Hyrum  Smith's  name  as  a  member  of  the  First 
Presidency.  Now,  if  Bennett  was  expelled  from  the 
church  on  May  n,  1842,  why  was  he  permitted  to  with- 
draw his  name  from  the  church  record,  "with  the  best 
of  feelings"  toward  him,  on  the  I7th,  and  why  was  tfof 


56  THE   TRUE  ORIGIN  OF 

publication  of  the  notice  of  his  expulsion  deferred  until 
after  he  had  begun  to  make  his  damaging  charges  against 
Joseph  Smith  and  the  Mormon  people?  As  for  the 
absence  of  the  names  of  Rigdon  and  Pratt,  it  is  easily 
explained:  Bennett  was  their  friend  and  had  warned 
Rigdon's  daughter,  Nancy,  and  Orson  Pratt' s  wife  of 
the  designs  of  Smith  upon  them,  on  account  of  which 
they,  undoubtedly,  entertained  a  feeling  of  gratitude 
toward  him,  while,  at  the  same  time,  their  feelings  to- 
ward Smith  were  not  the  most  friendly.  The  substitution 
of  the  name  of  Hyrum  Smith,  in  place  of  that  of  Sidney 
Rigdon,  as  a  member  of  the  First  Presidency,  was  a  de- 
ception. Hyrum  was  not  one  of  Joseph's  Counselors  at 
this  time,  being,  instead,  Patriarch  of  the  church,  which 
office  he  held  from  January,  1841,  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  He,  evidently,  signed  his  name  to  the  notice  to 
make  it  appear  that  the  entire  First  Presidency  was  op- 
posed to  Bennett,  which  was  not  true,  as  Rigdon  was 
one  of  his  supporters.  Bennett,  also,  charges  that  the 
names  of  at  least  three  of  the  Apostles  were  forgeries, 
John  E.  Page  and  William  Smith  being  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  Lyman  Wight  in  Tennessee,  at  this  time.1 

The  notice  of  Bennett's  expulsion  was  followed  by 
an  editorial  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  of  July  I,  1842, 
from  the  pen  of  Joseph  Smith,  setting  forth  the  charges 
made  against  him.  In  this  editorial,  Bennett  was  accused 
of  being  "a  very  mean  man,"  who  "had  a  wife  and  two 
or  three  children  in  McConnellsville,  Morgan  County, 
Ohio ;"  of  paying  attentions,  notwithstanding  this,  to  one 
of  the  young  ladies  of  Nauvoo;  of  circulating  the  report 


1  Bennett  says:  "This  Bull  was  signed  by  the  Mormon  Hierarchy,  who 
forged  the  names  of  Lyman  Wight,  who  was  then  in  Tennessee;  William 
Smith,  who  was  in  Pennsylvania;  and  John  E.  Page,  who  was  in  Pitts- 
burgh! These  are  three  of  the  Mormon  Apostles." — Expose,  p.  41. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  57 

"that  promiscuous  intercourse  between  the  sexes  was  a 
doctrine  believed  in  by  the  Latter-day  Saints  and  that 
there  was  no  harm  in  it;"  of  telling  the  women  that 
Joseph  himself  "not  only  sanctioned,  but  practiced,"  the 
same;  of  attempting  to  commit  suicide  by  taking  poison; 
and  of  allying  himself  with  the  Missourians  for  the  pur- 
pose of  delivering  Smith  into  their  hands. 

Bennett  replied  to  these  accusations  with  great  vigor 
and  published  a  number  of  affidavits  very  damaging  to 
Smith's  reputation.  In  a  letter  published  in  the  Sanga- 
mo  Journal  of  July  7,  1842,  he  says: 

Joseph  Smith,  the  great  Mormon  seducer,  one  who  has 
seduced  not  only  hundreds  of  single  and  married  females,  but 
more  than  the  great  Solomon,  attempted  to  seduce  Miss  Nancy 
Rigdon,  the  eldest  single  daughter  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  to  submit 
to  his  hellish  purposes,  and  become  one  of  his  clandestine  wives 
under  the  new  dispensation.  Call  upon  Miss  Rigdon,  who  re- 
pulsed him  with  commendable  firmness,  and  I  will  abide  her  testi- 
mony— call,  likewise,  upon  Gen.  George  W.  Robinson,  and  Col. 
F.  M.  Higbee,  to  state  what  they  know  upon  this  subject.  Gen. 
Robinson  and  Col.  Higbee  can  tell  some  astounding  facts  in 
relation  to  this  matter.  Joe  approached  Miss  Rigdon  "in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  and  by  His  authority  and  permission,"  as  he  said. 
Joe  attacked  Mr.  Rigdon,  Gen.  Robinson,  Col.  Higbee  and  myself, 
in  order  to  destroy  the  influence  of  ALL  of  us  to  prevent  the 
exposition  of  this  case.  But  it  is  all  true,  and  the  legal  evidence 
shall  be  forthcoming.  Call  upon  Miss  Martha  Brotherton,  of 
Warsaw,  and  see  what  she  will  say  as  to  the  base  attempt  at 
seduction  in  her  own  case.  She  can  tell  a  tale  of  woe,  that  would 
make  humanity  shudder.  Call  upon  Miss  Mitchell,  of  this  city, 
one  of  the  most  chaste  and  spotless  females  in  the  west,  and 
see  what  she  knows  as  to  the  PROPHET'S  SECRET  WIVES.  Hundreds 
of  cases  can  be  instanced,  and  if  the  Danites  do  not  murder  me, 
you  shall  hear  a  tale  of  pollution  and  sorrow.  Joe's  licentious- 
ness is  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  time. 

In  another  letter,  dated  at  Carthage,  July  2,  1842,  he 
tells  how  he  was  forced  to  make  his  affidavit  of  May  17, 

(5) 


58  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN    OF 

and  his  statement  to  the  city  council  on  the  I9th  of  the 
same  month : 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Journal: 

I  am  now  in  this  place  to  attend  to  some  of  my  official  duties 
as  Master  in  Chancery,  and  having  some  leisure  time,  I  shall 
proceed  with  my  history  of  Joe  Smith  and  the  Saints.  It  is  my 
determination  to  state  facts,  and  such  facts  as  will  arouse  the 
public  indignation  if  there  is  yet  virtue  and  courage  left  in  man — 
for  we  are  exhorted  to  be  enterprising  and  courageous — but  the 
beast  and  false  prophet  (Joe  Smith)  shall  tremble  in  the  days 
of  his  captivity  like  an  aspen  leaf  in  the  wilderness.  The  "Lord's 
Anointed,"  as  Joe  is  called,  must  be  washed  in  the  lavar  of  the 
law,  until  his  polluted  carcass  and  corrupt  soul  be  purified 
by  fire.  And  to  begin: 

ist.  The  Duresse.— On  the  i;th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1842, 
Joe  Smith  requested  to  see  me  alone  in  the  preparation  room 
of  the  Nauvoo  Lodge,  U.  D.,  on  some  important  business.  We 
entered,  and  he  locked  the  door,  put  the  key  in  his  pocket,  and 
drew  a  pistol  on  me  and  said:  "The  peace  of  my  family  re- 
quires that  you  should  sign  an  affidavit,  and  make  a  statement 
before  the  next  City  Council,  on  the  iQth,  exonerating  me  from 
all  participation  whatever,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  word  or 
deed,  in  the  spiritual  wife  doctrine,  or  private  intercourse  with 
females  in  general;  and  if  you  do  not  do  it  with  apparent 
cheerfulness,  I  will  make  cat-fish  bait  of  you,  or  deliver  you 
to  the  Danites  for  execution  to-night;  for  my  dignity  and  purity 
must  and  shall  be  maintained  before  the  public,  even  at  the 
expense  of  life.  Will  you  do  it,  or  die?"  I  replied  that  he  had 
better  procure  some  other  person,  or  persons,  to  do  so,  as  there 
were  plenty  who  could  do  it  in  truth.  "No,"  said  he,  "that  will 
not  do;  for  it  is  known  that  you  are  well  acquainted  with  all 
my  private  acts,  better  than  any  other  man ;  and  it  is  in  your 
power  to  save  me  or  damn  me ;  and  as  you  have  now  withdrawn 
from  the  Church  in  an  honorable  manner,  over  my  own  signa- 
ture, a  privilege  never  granted  to  any  other  person,  you  must 
and  shall  place  it  out  of  your  power  to  injure  me  or  the  Church. 
Do  it,  or  the  Mississippi  is  your  portion;  will  you  do  it?" 

I  remarked  that  it  was  a  hard  case  and  that  I  would  leave 
peaceably,  and  without  any  public  exposition,  if  he  would  excuse 
me.  He  replied:  "I  tell  you,  as  I  was  once  told,  'Your  die  is 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  59 

cast,  your  fate  is  fixed,  your  doom  is  sealed'  if  you  refuse. 
Will  you  do  it,  or  die?"  I  remarked  that  I  would,  under  the 
circumstances,  but  that  it  was  hard  to  take  the  advantage  of  an 
unarmed  man.  "If  you  tell  that  publicly,"  he  said,  "death  is  your 
portion — remember  the  Danites!"  He  then  unlocked  the  door,  we 
went  into  the  room  below,  and  I  gave  the  affidavit  as  subscribed 
before  Alderman  Wells  (who  was  then  doing  business  in  the 
lower  room),  and  made  the  statement  required  before  the  City 
Council  on  the  ipth.  I  was  not  aware,  until  Sunday  last,  that 
any  other  person  was  apprised  of  the  fact  of  the  threat  of  mur- 
der, but  on  that  day  Col.  Francis  M.  Higbee  told  me,  in  the 
presence  of  Geo.  W.  Robinson,  that  if  it  came  to  the  worst,  he 
was  in  possession  of  a  secret  that  would  open  the  eyes  of  the 
people,  and  that  he  would  file  his  affidavit  if  necessary;  but  he 
would  not  tell  me  what  the  secret  was.  Gen.  Robinson,  how- 
ever, informed  me  afterwards  that  it  was  a  knowledge  of  Joe's 
threat  of  murder.  .  .  .  Yours  Respectfully, 

JOHN  C.  BENNETT. 

With  this  letter,  Bennett  published  another  affidavit 
in  which  he  denied,  absolutely,  the  statements  that  he 
had  made  in  his  first: 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  ) 

>  ss. 
Hancock  County,   j 

Personally  appeared  before  me,  Samuel  Marshall,  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace  in  and  for  said  county,  John  C.  Bennett,  who, 
being  duly  sworn,  according  to  law,  deposeth  and  saith,  that  the 
affidavit  taken  before  Esquire  Wells,  on  the  I7th  of  May, 
and  the  statement  before  the  City  Council  of  Nauvoo,  on  the 
igth,  as  published  in  the  Wasp  of  the  25th  of  June,  1842,  are 
false,  and  were  taken  under  duresse,  as  stated  in  this  letter.  .  .  . 

JOHN  C.  BENNETT. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed,  this  3d  day  of  July,  1842. 

SAMUEL  MARSHALL,  J.  P.  (L.  S.). 

THE  DENIALS  OF  THE   MORMON   CHURCH   TO  THE  CHARGES 
OF   BENNETT. 

When  the  charges  that  Bennett  was  making  through 
the  columns  of  the  Sangamo  Journal  reached  the  Mor- 
mons at  Nauvoo,  they  caused  no  little  astonishment  and 


60  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN    OF 

indignation,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  make  it  appear 
that  the  "Lord's  Anointed"  was  being  grossly  maligned 
and  slandered.  One  of  Smith's  tools,  Stephen  Markham 
by  name,  a  man  of  very  questionable  veracity,  made  an 
affidavit  reflecting  upon  the  character  of  Nancy  Rigdon, 
with  the  evident  design  of  helping  the  Prophet  out  of  his 
difficulty,1  and,  on  the  2Oth  of  July,  the  city  council  made 
the  following  sworn  statement : 

We  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  City  Council  of  the 
City  of  Nauvoo,  testify  that  John  C.  Bennett  was  not  under 
duress  at  the  time  that  he  testified  before  the  City  Council  May 
19,  1842,  concerning  Joseph  Smith's  innocence,  virtue  and  pure 
teachings.  His  statements  that  he  has  lately  made  concerning 
this  matter  are  false;  there  was  no  excitement  at  the  time,  nor 
was  he  in  any  wise  threatened,  menaced  or  intimidated.  His 
appearance  at  the  City  Council  was  voluntary;  he  asked  the 
privilege  of  speaking,  which  was  granted.  After  speaking  for 
some  time  on  the  city  affairs,  Joseph  Smith  asked  him  if  he 
knew  anything  bad  concerning  his  public  or  private  character.  He 
then  delivered  those  statements  contained  in  the  testimony  vol- 
untarily, and  of  his  own  free  will,  and  went  of  his  own  accord 
as  free  as  any  member  of  the  council. 

This  affidavit  was  sworn  and  subscribed  to  by  Wilson 
Law,  John  Taylor,  W.  Woodruff,  Vinson  Knight,  H.  C. 
Kimball,  John  P.  Green,  William  Marks,  Geo.  A.  Smith, 
Geo.  W.  Harris,  N.  K.  Whitney,  Brigham  Young,  Charles 
C.  Rich  and  Orson  Spencer. 

On  the  22d  of  the  same  month,  at  a  mass-meeting 
of  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  the  following  resolution  was 
introduced  by  Gen.  Wilson  Law : 

Resolved,  That  having  heard  that  John  C.  Bennett  was 
circulating  many  base  falsehoods  respecting  a  number  of  the 
citizens  of  Nauvoo,  and  especially  against  our  worthy  and  re- 
spected Mayor,  Joseph  Smith,  we  do  hereby  manifest  to  the 


See  Expose,  p.  250. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  61 

world  that  so  far  as  we  are  acquainted  with  Joseph  Smith  we 
know  him  to  be  a  good,  moral,  virtuous,  peaceable  and  patriotic 
man,  and  a  firm  supporter  of  law,  justice  and  equal  rights;  that 
he  at  all  times  upholds  and  keeps  inviolate  the  Constitution 
of  this  State  and  of  the  United  States. 

When  this  resolution  was  put  to  vote,  the  entire  as- 
sembly, numbering,  it  is  said,  about  one  thousand  men, 
voted  in  the  affirmative  with  the  exception  of  two  or 
three.  One  of  these  was  Apostle  Orson  Pratt,  who  after- 
wards arose  and  explained  his  negative  vote,  evidently 
making  some  reflections  on  the  Prophet.  After  his  ex- 
planation had  been  made,  Joseph  Smith  arose  and  asked 
the  following  question:  "Have  you  personally  a  knowl- 
edge of  any  immoral  act  in  me  toward  the  female  sex, 
or  in  any  other  way?"  To  which  Pratt  answered:  "Per- 
sonally toward  the  female  sex,  I  have  not."  Mrs.  Pratt 
afterwards  testified  that  prior  to  this  time,  and  while  her 
husband  was  on  a  mission  in  England,  Joseph  had  made 
indecent  proposals  to  her  which  had  so  enraged  her  that 
she  refused  to  accept  any  help  from  the  church  tithing- 
house.  This,  without  doubt,  was  the  reason  why  Pratt 
cast  a  negative  vote.  Personally,  he  knew  of  no  immoral 
act  on  the  part  of  the  Prophet,  but  he  did  know  what  his 
wife  had  told  him  concerning  Smith's  evil  proposals  to 
her,  and  had  his  speech  been  recorded  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  we  would  have  in  it  a  great  deal  to  support  the 
charges  of  the  apostate  Bennett.1 

1  "Some  days  ago  Joe  Smith  got  up  a  large  meeting  at  Nauvoo,  for 
the  purpose  of  whitewashing  himself.  A  resolution  was  prepared  making 
out  Joe  all  sorts  of  a  moral  and  pious  man,  which  was  voted  for  by  all 
present  except  four  or  five.  Orson  Pratt  gave  his  reasons  for  his  negative 
vote.  They  relate,  as  we  understand,  to  the  attempted  outrages  upon  his 
wife  by  the  impostor." — Editorial  in  Sangamo  Journal,  August  6,  1842. 
That  Pratt  was  disaffected  to  the  degree  of  nearly  leaving  the  church,  is 
proved  by  a  letter  written  by  his  brother,  Parley,  at  Chester,  Illinois, 
January  i,  1843,  and  addressed  to  Thomas  Ward,  editor  of  the  Millennial 
Star.  In  this  letter  Parley  says:  "I  have  not  heard  from  Nauvoo,  except 


62  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

The  Mormon  women  were  not  behind  the  Mormon 
men  in  their  efforts  to  defend  Joseph  Smith,  and  the 
"Ladies'  Relief  Society"  drew  up  a  paper  signed  by 
about  one  thousand  of  the  women  of  Nauvoo  which 
spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  their  Prophet's  virtue, 
philanthropy  and  benevolence.  Later,  in  October,  a  simi- 
lar paper,  stating  that  "John  C.  Bennett's  'secret-wife 
system'  is  a  disclosure  of  his  own  make,"  was  signed  by 
Emma  Smith,  President;  Elizabeth  Ann  Whitney  and 
Sarah  M.  Cleveland,  Counselors;  Eliza  R.  Snow,  Secre- 
tary, and  fifteen  other  leading  Mormon  women. 

BENNETT'S  CHARGES  SUSTAINED. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  vehement  denials  of  the 
Mormon  people  and  Bennett's  poor  reputation  for  verac- 
ity, the  evidences  which  he  produced,  or  which  came  out 
at  the  same  time  from  other  sources,  are  so  strong  that 
we  are  led  to  believe  that  there  was  something  more  than 
bare  falsehood  in  his  charges.1  And  this  belief  is  strength- 
ened by  the  fact  that  some  of  those  who  were  the  most 
emphatic  in  their  denials  afterwards  confessed  that  they 

by  the  public   prints.      From  these   I   learn  that   Brother   O.    Pratt  is   still 
a  member  of  the  church." — Millennial  Star,  April,   1843,  p.  206. 

1  Since  first  writing  the  above,  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  the 
Times  and  Seasons,  Joseph  Smith's  "Diary"  in  the  Millennial  Star,  and 
other  Mormon  and  anti-Mormon  papers  and  documents  of  that  period, 
and,  from  the  direct  and  incidental  confirmations  of  Bennett's  charges,  I 
am  convinced,  no  matter  what  his  foibles  may  have  been,  that  he  told  the 
truth  in  regard  to  the  utter  licentiousness  of  the  Mormon  Prophet.  The 
only  objection  to  be  made  to  his  "Expose"  is  that  he  has  told  only  one- 
half  of  the  truth:  he  has  left  out  that  part  relating  to  himself.  On  this 
point,  Gregg,  in  his  "History  of  Hancock  County,"  page  288,  says:  "We 
have  been  utterly  unable  to  obtain  possession  of  the  Wasp,  the  Nauvoo 
paper  of  that  period.  [The  period  of  the  controversy  between  Bennett 
and  Smith.]  The  Mormon  side  in  the  controversy,  it  is  remembered, 
was  not  left  behind  in  the  use  of  'names'  and  invective.  So  that  about 
the  proper  conclusion  for  the  outside  public  to  adopt,  was  to  believe  both 
sides,  a  conclusion  which  time  has  only  strengthened." 


DR.  JOHN   C.  BENNETT. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  63 

either  knew  of  Smith's  polygamous  practices  or  were 
living  in  the  polygamous  relation  themselves  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1842.  Some  of  these  try  to  excuse  themselves 
for  signing  a  denial  of  Bennett's  charges  on  the  plea  that 
the  spiritual-wife  doctrine  he  claimed  to  expose  was  only 
a  counterfeit  of  the  pure  and  holy  principle  taught  and 
practiced  by  Joseph  Smith,  but  this  is  only  a  flimsy  excuse 
made  to  shield  them  from  the  just  charge  of  lying. 

Of  the  members  of  the  city  council,  who  signed  the 
affidavit  of  July  20,  1842,  the  majority  afterwards  went 
to  Utah,  where  they  practiced  polygamy  and  claimed  that 
Smith  was  a  polygamist  as  early  as  1841,'  while  Wilson 
Law  and  William  Marks,  both,  opposed  him  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  for  the  very  sins  charged  against 
him  by  Bennett,  the  former  being  one  of  the  publishers 
of  the  Nauvoo  Expositor.  Of  the  women  who  signed 
the  certificate  of  the  "Ladies'  Relief  Society,"  both  Eliz- 
abeth Ann  Whitney  and  Eliza  R.  Snow  subsequently 
stated  under  oath  that  they  knew  of  Smith's  polygamous 
relations  in  the  summer  of  1842,  the  first  declaring  that 
she  witnessed  the  sealing  of  her  daughter,  Sarah  Ann, 
to  the  Prophet  on  the  27th  of  July  of  that  year,  and 
the  other  that  she  had  become  his  plural  wife  on  the 
29th  of  June  preceding.  Of  the  rest  of  the  women, 
Mrs.  Pratt  says  that  the  most  had  been  seduced  by  Smith 
before  they  signed  the  certificate. 

1  That  in  1841  Smith  had  begun  to  agitate  his  spiritual- wife  doctrine 
is  proved  by  the  following  from  Ebenezer  Robinson:  "In  the  spring  of  1841, 
the  doctrine  of  'spiritual  wives'  began  to  be  secretly  talked  about.  In  June, 
1841,  Don  Carlos  Smith  and  myself  left  Nauvoo  for  Cincinnati,  to  settle 
with  Mr.  Shepherd,  and  also  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  paper  and  other  printing 
material  for  our  office  in  Nauvoo.  We  went  to  Keokuk  to  take  a  larger 
class  of  steamboat  than  passed  over  the  rapids  in  a  low  stage  of  water, 
and  while  there,  waiting  for  a  steamer,  we  conversed  upon  the  subject  of 
that  new  doctrine,  when  Don  Carlos  Smith  said:  'Any  man  who  will  teach 
and  practice  the  doctrine  of  spiritual  wifery  will  go  to  hell,  I  don't  care 
if  it  is  my  brother  Joseph.'  " — Return,  June,  1890. 


64  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

That  Smith  contemplated  putting  Bennett  out  of  the 
way,  is  fully  established  by  the  affidavit  of  Francis  M. 
Higbee,  for  years  a  leading  Mormon: 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS, 


Hancock  County, 

Personally  appeared  before  me,  Hiram  Kimball,  an  Alderman 
of  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  Francis  M.  Higbee,  who,  being  duly 
sworn  according  to  law,  deposeth  and  saith,  that  Joseph  Smith 
told  him  that  John  C.  Bennett  could  easily  be  put  aside  or 
drowned,  and  no  person  would  be  the  wiser  for  it,  and  that  it 
ought  to  be  attended  to  ;  and  he  further  remarked,  that  the 
sooner  this  was  done,  the  better  for  the  Church,  fearing,  as  he 
said,  that  Bennett  would  make  some  disclosures  prejudicial  to 
said  Smith.  This  was  about  the  time  of  Bennett's  withdrawal 
from  the  Church,  or  a  short  time  before;  and  further  this  depo- 
nent saith  not.  FRANCIS  M.  HIGBEE. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed,  this  3Oth  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1842. 

HIRAM  KIMBALL,  Alderman.1 

This  confirms  the  charge  of  Bennett  that  Smith 
threatened  to  make  "cat-fish  bait"  of  him,  and  proves  that 
the  Prophet  had  been  pressed  to  that  point  in  his  hypo- 
critical and  criminal  career  where  he  would  even  have 
committed  murder  in  order  to  cover  up  his  wicked  deeds. 
And  yet  some  good  and  honest,  but  misguided,  people 
condone  his  faults  and  look  upon  him  as  a  martyr  ! 

One  of  the  specific  charges  that  Bennett  made  against 
Smith,  as  already  mentioned,  was  that  he  had  attempted 
to  seduce  Nancy,  the  daughter  of  his  Counselor,  Sidney 
Rigdon.  After  a  careful  sifting  of  the  evidence,  I  regard 

1  Higbee  was  somewhat  of  a  coward,  and,  touching  his  affidavit,  wrote 
to  Bennett  as  follows,  July  6,  1842:  "As  it  respects  my  affidavit,  sir,  for 
God's  sake,  my  sake,  and  the  sake  of  my  people,  do  not  show  it  to  any 
one  on  earth,  as  yet,  never  until  I  give  you  liberty.  Stiles  has  seen  it, 
and  you  must  swear  him  that  he  will  keep  dark  as  hell.  I  am  yet  true 
as  death,  and  intend  to  stick  or  die,  but  you  must  keep  my  name  back, 
because  I  am  not  ready  as  yet  to  leave;  and  as  soon  as  you  bring  my 
name  out,  they  are  certain  to  take  my  life  —  they  go  it  like  hell,  yet." 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  65 

the  accusation  as  above  question  or  doubt,  it  being  sus- 
tained by  the  testimonies  of  Captain  Olney,  formerly  of 
the  Nauvoo  Legion;  George  W.  Robinson,  her  brother- 
in-law,  and  John  W.  Rigdon,  her  brother,  although  the 
last-named  places  the  occurrence  a  year  or  more  later, 
"in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1843,  or  the  first  part 
of  the  year  1844,"  which  is  certainly  a  mistake. 

Bennett  says  that  Smith  offered  him  his  choice  of  five 
hundred  dollars  or  the  best  lot  on  Main  Street  if  he 
would  procure  Nancy  for  his  harem.  This,  he  says,  he 
declined  to  do,  and,  moreover,  that  he  warned  her  of 
the  Prophet's  intentions.  And  this,  I  am  certain,  was 
one  of  the  causes  for  the  break  in  friendship  between 
the  two.  Joseph  then  secured  the  assistance  of  a  Mrs. 
Hyde  and  Apostle  Willard  Richards,  but  his  attempt  was 
unsuccessful. 

The  story  goes  that  the  Prophet  arranged  with  Nancy 
to  meet  him  at  a  certain  place.  Having  been  warned  by 
Bennett,  stie  went  prepared,  and,  when  he  told  her  that 
she  was  the  idol  of  his  affections  and  attempted  to  kiss 
her,  she  flew  into  a  rage  and  told  him  that  if  he  did 
not  open  the  door  she  would  arouse  the  neighborhood. 
This  he  was  forced  to  do,  but  later  he  sent  her  a  letter 
in  which,  in  very  guarded  language,  he  pressed  his  suit. 
In  this  letter,  he  told  her  that  "even  things  which  might 
be  considered  abominable  to  all  who  understand  the  order 
of  heaven  only  in  part"  are  in  reality  right  "because  God 
gave  and  sanctioned  them  by  special  revelation,"  and  that 
"our  heavenly  Father  is  more  liberal  in  his  views  and 
boundless  in  his  mercies  and  blessings  than  we  are  ready 
to  believe  or  receive."  Nancy  carefully  copied  this  letter, 
and  the  next  that  was  heard  of  it  was  when  it  appeared 
in  the  columns  of  the  Warsaw  Signal,  a  Gentile  paper. 

On  the  attempted  seduction,  George  W.  Robinson,  in 


t>6  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

a  letter  to  James  Arlington  Bennett,  of  New  York,  dated 

at  Nauvoo,  July  27,  1842,  says : 

Smith  sent  for  Miss  Rigdon  to  come  to  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Hyde,  who  lived  in  the  under  rooms  of  the  printing-office.  Miss 
Rigdon  inquired  of  the  messenger  who  came  for  her  what  was 
wanting,  and  the  only  reply  was,  that  Smith  wanted  to  see  her. 
General  Bennett  came  to  Miss  Rigdon,  and  cautioned  her,  and 
advised  her  not  to  place  too  much  reliance  on  revelation;  but 
did  not  enlighten  her  on  the  object  of  Smith,  but  advised  her  to 
go  down  to  Mrs.  Hyde's  and  see  Smith.  She  accordingly  went, 
and  Smith  took  her  into  another  room,  and  locked  the  door, 
and  then  stated  to  her  that  he  had  had  an  affection  for  her  for 
several  years,  and  wished  that  she  should  be  his;  that  the  Lord 
•was  well  pleased  with  this  matter,  for  he  had  got  a  revelation  on 
the  subject,  and  God  had  given  him  all  the  blessings  of  Jacob, 
&c.,  &c.,  and  that  there  was  no  sin  in  it  whatever;  but,  if  she 
had  any  scruples  of  conscience  about  the  matter,  he  would  marry 
her  privately,  and  enjoined  her  to  secrecy,  &c.,  &c.  She  repulsed 
him,  and  was  about  to  raise  the  neighbors  if  he  did  not  unlock 
the  door  and  let  her  out;  and  she  left  him  with  disgust,  and 
came  home  and  told  her  father  of  the  transaction;  upon  which 
Smith  was  sent  for.  He  came.  She  told  the  tale  in  the  presence 
of  all  the  family,  and  to  Smith's  face.  I  was  present.  Smith 
attempted  to  deny  it  at  first,  and  face  her  down  with  the  lie; 
but  she  told  the  facts  with  so  much  earnestness,  and  the  fact 
of  a  letter  being  present,  which  he  had  caused  to  be  written  to 
her,  on  the  same  subject,  the  day  after  the  attempt  made  on  her 
virtue,  breathing  the  same  spirit,  and  which  he  had  fondly 
hoped  was  destroyed, — all  came  with  such  force  that  he  could 
not  withstand  the  testimony,  and  he  then  and  there  acknowledged 
that  every  word  of  Miss  Rigdon's  testimony  was  true.  Now, 
for  his  excuse,  which  he  made  for  such  a  base  attempt,  and  for 
using  the  name  of  the  Lord  in  vain,  on  that  occasion.  He 
wished  to  ascertain  whether  she  was  virtuous  or  not,  and  took 
that  course  to  learn  the  facts ! 1 


1  On  this  meeting,  Joseph  says:  "Previous  to  the  Council,  I,  in  com- 
pany with  Bishop  Miller,  visited  Elder  Rigdon  and  his  family,  and  had 
much  conversation  about  John  C.  Bennett  and  others.  Much  unpleasant 
feeling  was  manifested  by  Elder  Rigdon's  family,  who  were  confounded 
and  put  to  silence  by  the  truth." — Entry  in  Smith's  Diary  for  June  28, 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  67 

In  answer  to  the  affidavit  of  Stephen  Markham,  and 
in  defense  of  his  daughter's  character  which  Markham 
had  traduced,  Sidney  Rigdon  made  the  following  sworn 
statement : 

NAUVOO,   Sept.  3,   1842. 

Personally  appeared  before  me,  E.  Robinson,  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  within  and  for  the  county  of  Hancock,  and  State 
of  Illinois,  Sidney  Rigdon,  who,  being  duly  sworn,  cleposeth  and 
saith,  that  he  is  personally  acquainted  with  Stephen  Markham 
of  this  city,  and  that  said  Markham  is  not  to  be  believed,  that 
his  word  for  truth  and  veracity  is  not  good — that  he  could 
not  believe  said  Markham  under  oath,  and  that  he  did  on  a 
certain  occasion  testify  under  oath  to  that  which  deponent 
knows  to  be  false,  and  he  verily  believes  said  Markham  knew  the 
same  to  be  false  while  testifying;  and  further  this  deponent 
saith  not.  SIDNEY  RIGDON. 

Sworn  to  this  3d  day  of  Sept.,  A.  D.  1842,  before  me. 

E.  ROBINSON,  J.  P.1 

1842;  Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XIX.,  p.  519.  The  following,  from  Bennett, 
shows  how  effectually  the  Rigdons  were  silenced  on  that  occasion:  "On 
Tuesday,  the  28th  of  June  last,  Joe  went  to  Mr.  Rigdon's,  accompanied 
by  his  High  Priest,  George  Miller,  of  Sable  Sister  notoriety,  for  a  witness 
for  him  that  he  had  successfully  confronted  Miss  Rigdon,  and,  by  boister- 
ous words  and  violent  gestures,  tried  to  deny  the  attempted  seduction  and 
alarm  the  girl;  but,  with  daring  bravery,  she  met  the  Monster  of  Inquity, 
and  told  him  he  was  a  'cursed  liar;'  that  all  that  she  had  said  of  him  was 
true  to  the  letter,  and  dared  him  to  face  her  to  the  contrary.  Joe  then 
made  a  full  acknowledgment  of  the  whole  affair,  in  the  presence  of  the 
family,  and  several  other  persons  who  were  present.  The  demoniacal  High 
Priest,  George  Miller,  then  groaned  in  the  spirit,  and  cried  aloud,  'You 
must  not  harm  the  Lord's  Anointed;  the  Lord  will  not  suffer  his  Anointed 
to  fall!!!'" — Expose,  p.  245. 

1  It  seems  that  Rigdon  tried  to  avoid  making  public  the  inward 
wickedness  of  the  Mormon  system,  probably  because  of  his  own  com- 
plicity in  that  wickedness.  In  his  letter  to  the  Sangamo  Journal,  of 
which  we  give  extracts,  J.  F.  Olney  says:  "It  is  true  that  Mr.  Rigdon  has 
endeavored  to  allay  the  excitement  upon  this  subject,  and  has  evaded  a 
direct  answer  to  the  public,  as  far  as  he^could  consistently  with  the  truth; 
but  that  part  which  is  true  he  has  left"  untouched."  That  there  was  ill 
feeling  between  Smith  and  Rigdon  over  what  occurred  at  the  time  of  the 
withdrawal  of  Bennett,  is  proved  by  a  letter  which  Smith  wrote  his 
Counselor,  March  27,  1843  (Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XX.,  p.  694),  and  in 
which  he  charged  him  with  being  "with  John  C.  Bennett  and  George  W. 


68  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

This  affidavit  appeared  in  the  Sangamo  Journal  of 
September  23,  1842,  in  which,  also,  the  following  letter 
from  Capt.  J.  F.  Olney  was  published: 

LA  HARPE,  Hancock  Co.,  Sept.  10,  1842. 
EDITOR  SANGAMO  JOURNAL: 

Dear  Sir — I  wish  to  make,  through  the  medium  of  your 
paper,  a  public  withdrawal  from  the  church  of  Latter  Day  Saints, 
as  I  cannot  longer  consent  to  remain  a  member  of  said  church 
while  polygamy,  lasciviousness  and  adultery  are  practiced  by 
some  of  its  leaders.  That  crimes  of  the  deepest  dye  are  toler- 
ated and  practiced  by  them,  cannot  be  doubted.  I  have  heard 
the  circumstances  of  Smith's  attack  upon  Miss  Rigdon,  from  the 
family  as  well  as  herself — and  knowing  her  to  be  a  young 
lady  who  sustains  a  good  moral  character,  and  also  of  undoubted 
veracity,  I  must  place  implicit  confidence  in  her  statement,  the 
foul  insinuations  of  that  miserable  little  insect  the  Wasp,  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding. 

******* 

STEPHEN    MARKHAM, 

who  has  favored  the  public  with  his  affidavit,  with  the  apparent 
design  to  help  Smith  out  of  his  dilemma  in  the  extraordinary 
affair  with  Miss  Rigdon,  is  a  man  of  little  or  no  reputation,  and 
I  could  not  believe  his  statement,  although  made  under  oath; 
and  Smith,  it  appears  in  the  Wasp  of  the  3d  inst,  has  already 
become  disgusted  with  this  worthy  helpmeet,  and  it  certainly  is  a 
wonder  that  others  of  the  same  character  should  not  share  the 

Robinson  in  the  whole  of  their  abominable  practices."  He  closes  with 
these  words:  "I  must,  as  a  conscientious  man,  publish  my  withdrawal  of 
my  fellowship  from  you  to  the  church  through  the  medium  of  the  Times 
and  Seasons,  and  demand  of  the  Conference  a  hearing  concerning  your 
case;  that,  on  conviction  of  justifiable  grounds,  they  will  demand  your 
license."  In  his  reply,  Rigdon  denied  all  of  these  charges,  but,  subse- 
quently, in  August  (Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XXI.,  p.  828),  Joseph  declared 
that  he  bad  been  "writing  falsehoods  to  Missouri"  concerning  him,  and 
he  was  disfellowshiped ;  but,  having  explained  his  course  satisfactorily  to 
the  saints,  though  not  to  Smith,  he  was  received  again,  and,  later,  the 
trouble  was  patched  up  to  the  degree  that  he  was  sent  to  take  charge  of 
the  work  in  Pittsburgh  shortly  before  the  Prophet's  death.  In  the  history 
of  no  other  religious  movement  can  be  found  the  great  number  of  charges, 
countercharges,  denials,  reaffirmations,  excuses  and  evasions  that  can  be 
found  in  the  history  of  Mormonism. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  69 

same  fate,  for  Smith  must  know  they  are  an  injury  to  his  cause. 
The  Mormon  elders  are  now  scattering  in  every  direction  through 
our  country,  laden  with  lies  to  injure  the  innocent  and  op- 
pressed. Very  respectfully,  etc., 

J.  F.  OLNEY. 

The  following  affidavit  of  John  W.  Rigdon,  sworn 
and  subscribed  to  on  the  28th  of  July,  1905,  also  cor- 
roborates the  charge  of  Smith's  attack  upon  his  sister.  I 
leave  out  of  this  affidavit  those  parts  relating  to  the 
question  of  the  ordination  of  the  son  of  the  original 
Prophet,  and  certain  quotations  from  the  Nauvoo  Expos- 
itor which  will  appear  later. 

STATE  OF  UTAH, 


County  of  Salt  Lake. 

John  W.  Rigdon,  being  duly  sworn,  says:  I  am  the  son  of 
Sidney  Rigdon,  deceased.  Was  born  at  Mentor,  in  the  State 
of  Ohio,  in  the  year  1830,  and  am  now  over  seventy-five  years  of 
age.  My  father,  Sidney  Rigdon,  joined  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints  that  year,  and  was  in  1833  ordained 
to  be  Joseph  Smith's  first  counselor,  which  position  he  held 
up  to  the  time  Joseph  the  Prophet  was  killed,  at  Carthage  jail, 

in  1844. 

******* 

As  to  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  of  polygamy  being  introduced 
by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  deponent  further  says:  Joseph 
Smith  was  absolute  so  far  as  spiritual  matters  were  concerned, 
and  no  man  would  have  dared  to  introduce  the  doctrine  of  polyg- 
amy or  any  other  new  doctrine  into  the  "Mormon"  Church  at 
the  city  of  Nauvoo  during  the  years  1843  and  J844,  or  at  any 
other  place  or  time,  without  first  obtaining  Joseph  Smith's 
consent.  If  anyone  had  dared  to  have  done  such  a  thing  he 
would  have  been  brought  before  the  High  Council  and  tried, 
and  if  proven  against  him,  he  would  have  been  excommunicated 
from  the  Church  and  that  would  have  ended  polygamy  forever, 
and  would  also  have  ended  the  man  who  had  dared  to  introduce 
such  a  doctrine  without  the  consent  of  the  Prophet  Joseph. 

And  deponent  further  says:  Joseph  the  Prophet,  at  the 
City  of  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  some  time  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year 


70  THE    TRUE    ORIGIN    OF 

1843,  or  the  first  part  of  the  year  1844,  made  a  proposition  to  my 
sister,  Nancy  Rigdon,  to  become  his  wife.  It  happened  in  this 
way:  Nancy  had  gone  to  Church,  meeting  being  held  in  a  grove 
near  the  temple  lot  on  which  the  "Mormons"  were  then  erecting 
a  temple;  an  old  lady  friend  who  lived  alone  invited  her  to  go 
home  with  her,  which  Nancy  did.  When  they  got  to  the  house 
and  had  taken  their  bonnets  off,  the  old  lady  began  to  talk  to  her 
about  the  new  doctrine  of  polygamy  which  was  then  being  taught, 
telling  Nancy,  during  the  conversation,  that  it  was  a  surprise  to 
her  when  she  first  heard  it,  but  that  she  had  since  come  to  believe 
it  to  be  true.1  While  they  were  talking  Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet 
came  into  the  house,  and  joined  them,  and  the  old  lady  imme- 
diately left  the  room.  It  was  then  that  Joseph  made  the  proposal 
of  marriage  to  my  sister.  Nancy  flatly  refused  him,  saying  if 
she  ever  got  married  she  would  marry  a  single  man  or  none  at 
all,  and  thereupon  took  her  bonnet  and  went  home,  leaving 
Joseph  at  the  old  lady's  house.  Nancy  told  father  and  mother 
of  it.  The  story  got  out  and  it  became  the  talk  of  the  town 
that  Joseph  had  made  a  proposition  to  Nancy  Rigdon  to  become 
his  wife,  and  that  she  refused  him.  A  few  days  after  the  occur- 
rence Joseph  Smith  came  to  my  father's  house  and  talked  the 
matter  over  with  the  family,  my  sister  Mrs.  Athalia  Robinson 
also  being  present,  who  is  now  alive.  The  feelings  manifested 
by  our  family  on  this  occasion  were  anything  but  brotherly  or 
sisterly,  more  especially  on  the  part  of  Nancy,  as  she  felt  that 
she  had  been  insulted.  A  day  or  two  later  Joseph  Smith  returned 
to  my  father's  house,  when  matters  were  satisfactorily  adjusted 
between  them,  and  there  the  matter  ended.  After  that  Joseph 
Smith  sent  my  father  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  to  take  charge  of  a 
little  church  that  was  there  and  Ebenezer  Robinson,  who  was 
then  the  Church  printer,  or  at  least  had  been  such,  as  he  was 
the  printer  of  the  paper  in  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and  a  printer  by  trade, 
was  to  go  with  him  to  print  a  paper  there,  and  nine  days  before 
Joseph  Smith  was  shot  at  Carthage  we  started,  reaching  Pitts- 
burg  the  day  before  he  was  killed. 


*      * 

JOHN  W.  RIGDON. 


1  This  agrees  in  sentiment  with  what  Bennett  said  in  1842:  "Mr?. 
Hyde  told  her  that  these  things  looked  strange  to  her  at  first,  but  that  she 
would  become  more  reconciled  on  mature  reflection." — Expose,  p.  243. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  71 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  July,  1905. 
(Seal.)  JAMES  JACK,  Notary  Public.1 

In  the  foregoing,  Rigdon  agrees  with  the  other  wit- 
nesses in  every  particular,  except  the  time  in  which  the 
attempted  seduction  occurred,  he  placing  it  in  the  latter 
part  of  1843  or  the  first  part  of  1844.  But  this  is  cer- 
tainly erroneous,  as  the  affair  took  place  before  Bennett 
left  Nauvoo,  which  was  in  June,2  1842.  The  witnesses  all 
agree,  however,  on  the  important  facts,  that  Nancy  Rig- 
don, sometime  before  the  Prophet's  death,  received  a 
proposal  to  become  a  plural  wife  and  that  the  one  who 
made  the  proposal  was  none  other  than  Smith  himself. 

Another  woman,  whom  Joseph  Smith  attempted  to 
seduce  about  this  time,  was  Mrs.  Melissa  Schindle,  wife 
of  Col.  George  Schindle.  Her  sworn  statement,  which 
is  given  in  language  too  plain  and  specific  to  be  quoted 
here,3  was  made  before  A.  Fulkerson,  justice  of  the 
peace  for  McDonough  County,  Illinois,  on  July  2,  1842, 
and  was  published  in  the  Sangamo  Journal  of  the  I5th 
of  the  same  month.  Mrs.  Schindle  states  that  in  the  fall 
of  1841,  while  she  was  visiting  in  Nauvoo,  Joseph  Smith 

1  Bishop  E.  L.  Kelley,  Josephite,  says  that  Mr.  Rigdon  "is  a  gentle- 
man in  the  highest  sense." — Palmyra  to  Independence,  p.  392. 

8  In  the  first  edition  we  gave  May  as  the  month  in  which  Bennett 
left  Nauvoo.  This  was  probably  a  mistake,  although  the  movements  of 
the  doctor  at  this  time  were  somewhat  obscure.  It  is  known,  however, 
that  he  left  Nauvoo  at  some  time  prior  to  June  23,  1842,  according  to  a 
letter  written  by  Smith  on  that  date,  and  that  he  made  a  somewhat  ex- 
tended trip  through  Carthage  and  Virginia,  in  Cass  County,  to  Springfield, 
being  followed  to  Carthage  by  the  Danite,  Porter  Rockwell,  and  to  Spring- 
field by  another  Danite,  Capt.  John  D.  Parker.  But  he  was  back  in 
Nauvoo  by  June  26,  for  on  the  following  day  he  penned  his  first  letter 
to  the  Sangamo  Journal.  It  is  also  known  that,  before  the  24th  of  that 
month,  Smith  suspected  that  he,  with  David  and  Edward  Kilbourn,  was 
in  Galena,  Illinois,  posting  bills  to  excite  the  people  against  the  Prophet 
(Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XIX.,  p.  503). 

3  "The  whole  truth  about  Mormonism  can  not  be  printed — it  is  too- 
filthy  for  type." — Mormon  Portraits,  p.  128. 


72  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

came  to  her  sleeping-room  one  night  at  ten  o'clock  and 
made  an  indecent  proposal  to  her,  declaring  that  "it  was 
the  will  of  the  Lord."  He  further  promised  her  that 
if  she  would  consent  "she  could  make  his  house  her 
home  as  long  as  she  wished  to  do  so,  and  that  she  should 
never  want  for  anything  it  was  in  his  power  to  assist 
her  to."  Upon  her  refusal,  he  threatened  to  ruin  her 
character  if  she  made  the  matter  public.  The  affidavit 
of  Mrs.  Schindle  shows  the  depths  of  depravity  to  which 
the  "Lord's  Anointed"  descended  in  his  attempt  to  gratify 
his  insatiable  appetite  for  sensual  pleasure. 

About  the  time  that  the  Prophet  made  his  unsuccess- 
ful attempts  upon  Miss  Rigdon  and  Mrs.  Schindle,  he 
became  mixed  up,  with  Young  and  Kimball,  in  another 
scandal.  This  time  it  was  with  a  buxom  English  girl  by 
the  name  of  Martha  Brotherton,  whom  Brigham  wanted 
as  a  plural  wife.  Her  parents,  with  herself,  had  em- 
braced Mormonism  in  England  and  had  come  to  Nauvoo 
to  join  the  faithful.  It  took  them  about  three  weeks  to 
get  their  eyes  open  to  the  true  condition  of  things,  and 
the  whole  of  them,  according  to  report,  apostatized.  Her 
affidavit,  which  I  have  copied  from  the  Sangamo  Journal 
of  July  22,  1842,  I  now  give: 

ST.  Louis,  Mo.,  July  I3th,  1842. 
GEN.  JOHN  C.  BENNETT: 

Dear  Sir — I  left  Warsaw  a  short  time  since  for  this  city, 
and  having  been  called  upon  by  you  through  the  Sangamo  Jour- 
nal to  come  out  and  disclose  to  the  world  the  facts  of  the  case  in 
relation  to  certain  propositions  made  to  me  at  Nauvoo,  by  some 
of  the  Mormon  leaders,  I  now  proceed  to  respond  to  the  call, 
and  discharge  what  I  consider  to  be  a  duty  devolving  upon  me 
as  an  innocent  but  insulted  and  abused  female.  I  had  been  at 
Nauvoo  near  three  weeks,  during  which  time  my  father's  family 
received  frequent  visits  from  Elders  Brigham  Young  and  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  two  of  the  Mormon  apostles,  when  early  one  morning 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  73 

they  both  came  to  my  brother-in-law's  (John  Mcllwrick's)  house, 
at  which  place  I  then  was  on  a  visit,  and  particularly  requested 
me  to  go  and  spend  a  few  days  with  them.  *  I  told  them  I  could 
not  at  that  time,  as  my  brother-in-law  was  not  at  home ;  however 
they  urged  me  to  go  the  next  day  and  spend  one  day  with  them 
— the  day  being  fine,  I  accordingly  went.  When  I  arrived  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill  Young  and  Kimball  were  standing  conversing 
together.  They  both  came  to  me,  and,  after  several  flattering  com- 
pliments, Kimball  wished  me  to  go  to  his  house  first.  I  said  it 
was  immaterial  to  me,  and  accordingly  went.  We  had  not,  how- 
ever, gone  many  steps  when  Young  suddenly  stopped  and  said 
he  would  go  to  that  brother's  (pointing  to  a  little  log  hut  a  few 
yards  distant)  and  tell  him  that  you  (speaking  to  Kimball), 
and  brother  Glover  or  Grover  (I  do  not  remember  which),  will 
value  his  land.  When  he  had  gone  Kimball  turned  to  me  and 
said,  "Martha,  I  want  you  to  say  to  my  wife,  when  you  go 
to  my  house,  that  you  want  to  buy  some  things  at  Joseph's 
store  (Joseph  Smith's)  and  I  will  say  I  am  going  with  you  to 
show  you  the  way.  You  know  you  want  to  see  the  prophet, 
and  you  will  then  have  an  opportunity."  I  made  no  reply. 
Young  again  made  his  appearance  and  the  subject  was  dropped. 
We  soon  reached  Kimball's  house,  when  Young  took  his  leave, 
saying,  "I  shall  see  you  again,  Martha."  I  remained  at  Kimball's 
near  an  hour,  when  Kimball  seeing  that  I  would  not  tell 
the  lies  he  wished  me  to  told  them  to  his  wife  .himself.  He 
then  went  and  whispered  in  her  ear,  and  asked  if  that  would 
please  her.  "Yes,"  said  she,  "or  I  can  go  along  with  you  and 
Martha."  "No,"  said  he,  "I  have  some  business  to  do,  and  I 
will  call  for  you  afterwards  to  go  with  me  to  the  debate,"  mean- 
ing the  debate  between  himself  and  Joseph.  To  this  she  con- 
sented. So  Kimball  and  I  went  to  the  store  together.  As  we 
were  going  along  he  said,  "Sister  Martha,  are  you  willing  to  do 
all  that  the  Prophet  requires  you  to  do?"  I  said  I  believed  I 
was,  thinking  of  course  he  would  require  nothing  wrong.  "Then," 
said  he,  "are  you  ready  to  take  counsel?"  I  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  thinking  of  the  great  and  glorious  blessings  that  had 
been  pronounced  upon  my  head  if  I  adhered  to  the  counsel 
of  those  placed  over  me  in  the  Lord.  "Well,"  said  he,  "there  are 
many  things  revealed  in  these  last  days  that  the  world  would 
laugh  and  scoff  at,  but  unto  us  is  given  to  know  the  mysteries  of 
(6) 


74  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

the  kingdom."  He  further  observed,  "Martha,  you  must  learn 
to  hold  your  tongue,  and  it  will  be  well  with  you.  You  will  see 
Joseph,  and  very  likely  have  some  conversation  with  him,  and  he 
will  tell  you  what  you  shall  do."  When  we  reached  the  building 
he  led  me  upstairs  to  a  small  room,  the  door  of  which  was 
locked,  and  on  it  the  following  inscription — "Positively  no  ad- 
mittance." He  observed,  "Ah,  brother  Joseph  must  be  sick, 
for  strange  to  say  he  is  not  here.  Come  down  into  the  tithing 
office,  Martha."  He  then  left  me  in  the  tithing  office  and  went 
out,  I  know  not  where.  In  this  office  were  two  men  writing, 
one  of  whom,  William  Clayton,  I  had  seen  in  England;  the 
other  I  did  not  know.  Young  came  in  and  seated  himself  before 
me  and  asked  where  Kimball  was.  I  said  he  had  gone  out. 
He  said  it  was  all  right.  Soon  after  Joseph  came  in  and  spoke 
to  one  of  the  clerks,  and  then  went  upstairs  followed  by  Young. 
Immediately  after  Kimball  came  in.  "Now,  Martha,"  said  he, 
"the  Prophet  has  come;  come  upstairs."  I  went  and  I  found 
Young  and  the  prophet  alone.  I  was  introduced  to  the  prophet 
by  Young.  Joseph  offered  me  his  seat,  and,  to  my  astonishment 
the  moment  I  was  seated  Joseph  and  Kimball  walked  out  of  the 
room  and  left  me  with  Young,  who  arose,  locked  the  door, 
closed  the  windows,  and  drew  the  curtain.  He  then  came  and 
sat  before  me  and  said,  "This  is  our  private  room,  Martha." 
"Indeed,  sir,"  said  I,  "I  must  be  highly  honored  to  be  permitted 
to  enter  it."  He  smiled,  and  then  proceeded,  "Sister  Martha, 
I  want  to  ask  you  a  few  questions;  will  you  answer  them?" 
"Yes,  sir,"  said  I.  "And  will  you  promise  not  to  mention  them 
to  anyone?"  "If  it  is  your  desire,  sir,"  said  I,  "I  will  not/' 
"And  you  will  not  think  any  the  worse  of  me  for  it,  will  you, 
Martha?"  said  he.  "No,  sir,'  I  replied.  "Well,"  said  he,  "what 
are  your  feelings  toward  me?"  I  replied,  "My  feelings  are 
just  the  same  towards  you  that  they  ever  were,  sir."  "But  to 
come  to  the  point  more  closely,"  said  he,  "have  not  you  an 
affection  for  me,  that,  were  it  lawful  and  right,  you  could 
accept  of  me  for  your  husband  and  companion."  My  feelings 
at  that  moment  were  indescribable.  God  only  knows  them. 
What,  thought  I,  are  these  men  that  I  thonght  almost  perfection 
itself,  deceivers,  and  is  all  my  fancied  happiness  but  a  dream? 
'Twas  even  so;  but  my  next  thought  was,  which  is  the  best 
way  for  me  to  act  at  this  time ;  if  I  say  no,  they  may  do  as  they 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  75 

think  proper;  and  to  say  yes,  I  never  would.  So  I  considered 
it  best  to  ask  for  time  to  think  and  pray  about  it.  I  therefore 
said,  "If  it  was  lawful  and  right  perhaps  I  might;  but  you  know, 
sir,  it  is  not."  "Well,  but,"  said  he,  "brother  Joseph  has  a 
revelation  from  God  that  it  is  lawful  and  right  for  a  man  to  have 
two  wives;  for  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  so  it  shall 
be  in  these  last  days,  and  whoever  is  the  first  that  is  willing 
to  take  up  the  cross  will  receive  the  greatest  blessing ;  and  if  you 
will  accept  of  me  I  will  take  you  straight  to  the  celestial  king- 
dom; and  if  you  will  have  me  in  this  world,  I  will  have  you 
in  that  which  is  to  come,  and  brother  Joseph  will  marry  us  here 
today,  and  you  can  go  home  this  evening  and  your  parents  will 
not  know  anything  about  it."  "Sir,"  said  I,  "I  should  not  like 
to  do  anything  of  the  kind  without  the  permission  of  my  parents." 
"Well,  but,"  said  he,  "you  are  of  age,  are  you  not?"  "No,  sir," 
said  I,  "I  shall  not  be  until  the  24th  of  May."  "Well,"  said  he, 
"that  does  not  make  any  difference.  You  will  be  of  age  before 
they  know,  and  you  need  not  fear.  If  you  will  take  my  counsel 
it  will  be  well  with  you,  for  I  know  it  to  be  right  before  God 
and  there  is  no  sin  in  it,  I  will  answer  for  it.  But  brother 
Joseph  wishes  to  have  some  talk  with  you  on  the  subject — he 
will  explain  things — will  you  hear  him?"  "I  do  not  mind,"  said 
I.  "Well,  but  I  want  you  to  say  something,"  said  he.  "I  want 
time  to  think  about  it,"  said  I.  "Well,"  said  he,  "I  will  have  a 
kiss  anyhow,"  and  then  rose  and  said  he  would  bring  Joseph. 
He  then  unlocked  the  door,  and  took  the  key  and  locked  me  up 
alone.  He  was  absent  about  ten  minutes  and  then  returned  with 
Joseph.  "Well,  Martha,"  said  Joseph,  "it  is  lawful  and  right 
before  God — I  know  it  is.  Look  here,  sister,  don't  you  believe 
in  me?"  I  did  not  answer.  "Well,  Martha,"  said  Joseph,  "just 
go  ahead  and  do  as  Brigham  wants  you  to — he  is  the  best 
man  in  the  world  except  me."  "Oh !"  said  Brigham,  "then  you 
are  as  good."  "Yes,"  said  Joseph.  "Well,"  said  Young,  "we 
believe  Joseph  to  be  a  prophet — I  have  known  him  near  eight 
years,  and  always  found  him  the  same."  "Yes,"  said  Joseph, 
"and  I  know  it  is  lawful  and  right  before  God,  and  if  there  is 
any  sin  in  it,  I  will  answer  for  it  before  God ;  and  I  have  the 
keys  of  the  Kingdom,  and  whatever  I  bind  on  earth  is  bound  in 
heaven,  and  whatever  I  loose  on  earth  is  loosed  in  heaven — and 
if  you  will  accept  of  Brigham,  you  will  be  blessed — God  shall 


76  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

bless  you,  and  my  blessing  shall  rest  upon  you,  and  if  you 
will  be  led  by  him  you  will  do  well;  for  I  know  Brigham  will 
take  care  of  you,  and  if  he  don't  do  his  duty  to  you,  come  to  me 
and  I  will  make  him — and  if  you  do  not  like  it  in  a  month  or 
two,  come  to  me  and  I  will  make  you  free  again ;  and  if  he 
turns  you  off  I  will  take  you  on."  "Sir,"  said  I,  rather  warmly, 
"it  will  be  too  late  to  think  in  a  month  or  two  after.  I  want 
to  think  first."  "Well,  but,"  said  he,  "the  old  proverb  is  nothing 
ventured,  nothing  gained,  and  it  would  be  the  greatest  blessing 
that  ever  was  bestowed  upon  you."  "Yes,"  said  Young,  "and 
you  will  never  have  reason  to  repent  it — that  is,  if  I  do  not  turn 
from  righteousness,  and  that  I  trust  I  never  shall,  for  I  believe 
God  who  has  kept  me  so  long  will  continue  to  keep  me  faithful. 
Did  you  ever  see  me  act  in  any  way  wrong  in  England,  Martha  ?" 
"No,  sir,"  said  I.  "No,"  said  he,  "neither  can  any  one  else 
lay  anything  to  my  charge."  "Well,  then,"  said  Joseph,  "what 
are  you  afraid  of,  sis? — come  let  me  do  the  business  for  you." 
"Sir,"  said  I,  "do  let  me  have  a  little  time  to  think  about  it, 
and  I  will  promise  not  to  mention  it  to  any  one."  "Well,  but 
look  here,"  said  he,  "you  know  a  fellow  will  never  be  damned 
for  doing  the  best  he  knows  how."  "Well,  then,"  said  I,  "the 
best  way  I  know  of  is  to  go  home  and  think  and  pray  about  it." 
"Well,"  said  Young,  "I  shall  leave  it  with  brother  Joseph,  whether 
it  would  be  best  for  you  to  have  time  or  not."  "Well,"  said 
Joseph,  "I  see  no  harm  in  her  having  time  to  think  if  she  will 
not  fall  into  temptation."  "O,  sir,"  said  I,  "there  is  no  fear  of  my 
falling  into  temptation."  "Well,  but,"  said  Brigham,  "you  must 
promise  me  that  you  will  never  mention  it  to  anyone."  "I  do 
promise  it,"  said  I.  "Well,"  said  Joseph,  "you  must  promise  me 
the  same."  I  promised  him  the  same.  "Upon  your  honor," 
said  he,  "you  will  not  tell."  "No,  sir,  I  will  lose  my  life  first," 
said  I.  "Well,  that  will  do,"  said  he,  "that  is  the  principle  we 
go  upon."  "I  think  I  can  trust  you,  Martha,"  said  he.  "Yes," 
said  I,  "I  think  you  ought."  Joseph  said,  "She  looks  as  if  she 
could  keep  a  secret."  I  then  rose  to  go,  when  Joseph  com- 
menced to  beg  of  me  again — he  said  it  was  the  best  opportunity 
they  might  have  for  months,  for  the  room  was  often  engaged. 
I,  however,  had  determined  what  to  do.  "Well,"  said  Young,  "I 
will  see  you  tomorrow.  I  am  going  to  preach  at  the  schoolhouse, 
opposite  your  house.  I  have  never  preached  there  yet;  you  will 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  77 

be  there,  I  suppose."  "Yes,"  said  I.  The  next  day  being  Sunday, 
I  sat  down,  instead  of  going  to  meeting,  and  wrote  the  conversa- 
tion and  read  it  to  my  sister,  who  was  not  a  little  surprised,  but 
who  said  it  would  be  the  bes*  to  go  to  meeting  in  the  afternoon. 
We  went,  and  Young  administered  the  sacrament.  After  it  was 
over,  I  was  passing  out  and  Young  stopped  me,  saying,  "Wait, 
Martha— I  am  coming."  I  s->id,  "I  cannot— my  sister  is  waiting 
for  me."  He  then  threw  his  coat  over  his  shoulder  and  followed 
me  out  and  whispered,  "Have  you  made  up  your  mind,  Martha  ?" 
"Not  exactly,  sir,"  said  I,  and  we  parted.  I  shall  proceed  to  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  make  oath  to  the  truth  of  these  state- 
ments, and  you  are  at  liberty  to  make  what  use  of  them  you  may 
think  best.  Yours  Respectfully, 

MARTHY  H.  BROTHERTON. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me  this  I3th  day  of  July, 
A.  D.  1842.  DuBouFFAY  FREMON, 

Justice  of  the  Peace  for  St.  Louis  County.1 

The  foregoing  affidavit  proves  not  only  that  Smith, 
but  also  that  a  number  of  other  leading  Mormons,  either 
taught  or  practiced  polygamy  at  Nauvoo,  and  that  Young 
and  Kimball  deliberately  lied  when  they  denied  the 
charges  of  Bennett  in  July,  1842.  As  this  affidavit  was 
made  nearly  two  years  before  Smith  was  shot,  and  as  no 
action  was  ever  taken  against  Miss  Brotherton  for  libel, 
the  charge  of  Bennett,  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a  seducer 
and  polygamist,  stands. 


1  The  charge  that  Miss  Brotherton  made  against  Smith,  Young  and 
Kimball  was  probably  in  circulation  a  number  of  weeks  before  the  apostasy 
of  Bennett.  The  Times  and  Seasons  (Vol.  III.,  p.  763)  gives  the  account 
of  an  address  delivered  by  Hyrum  Smith  at  a  conference  held  April  6-8, 
1842,  of  which  the  following  is  an  extract:  "He  then  spoke  in  contradic- 
tion of  a  report  in  circulation  about  Elder  Kimball,  B.  Young,  himself, 
and  others  of  the  Twelve,  alleging  that  a  sister  had  been  shut  in  a  room 
for  several  days,  and  they  had  endeavored  to  induce  her  to  believe  in 
having  two  wives." 


78  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage" — Preparation  of  the 
People  for  the  "Revelation"— How  the  "Revelation"  Came  to 
be  Written — Text  of  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage" — 
Proof  that  the  "Revelation"  came  from  Joseph  Smith. 

On  the  1 2th  day  of  July,  1843,  Joseph  Smith  received 
his  famous,  or  infamous,  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Mar- 
riage," "Patriarchal  Order  of  Matrimony"  or  "Plurality 
of  Wives."  Prior  to  this  date,  he  had  claimed  divine 
authority  for  his  licentious  practices,  but  the  time  had 
come  when  some  of  his  followers  demanded  a  "thus  saith 
the  Lord,"  and  this  "Revelation"  was  given  to  satisfy 
them.  Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Pratt,  who  had  not  merely  a  peep, 
but  a  continuous  view,  behind  the  scenes  at  Nauvoo,  de- 
clares that  the  "Revelation"  was  first  suggested  by  Ben- 
nett. The  Prophet  complained  to  him  that  he  had  had 
trouble  with  Emma  over  his  intimacy  with  other  women, 
when  Bennett  said:  "Get  a  revelation  that  polygamy  is' 
right,  and  all  your  troubles  will  be  at  an  end."  The 
"Revelation"  came,  but  Joseph  found  that  with  its  ap- 
pearance his  troubles  did  not  end,  but  grew  in  magnitude 
and  intensity. 

That  Joseph  claimed  a  revelation,  or  revelations,  upon 
the  subject  of  polygamy  before  July  12,  1843,  *s  estab- 
lished beyond  question  of  doubt.  Even  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  Josephite  Church,  Jason  W.  Briggs,  when  on 
the  stand  in  the  celebrated  Temple-lot  Suit,  in  which  the 
Josephites  and  Hedrickites  fought  for  possession  of  the 
Temple  lot  at  Independence,  Missouri,  conceded  that  he 
had  heard  rumors  of  such  a  revelation  in  1842.  He  said: 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  79 

"I  heard  something  about  a  revelation  on  polygamy,  or 
plural  marriage,  when  I  was  in  Nauvoo,  in  1842."  The 
claim  of  Orson  Pratt  was  that  Joseph  had  the  principle 
revealed  to  him  as  early  as  1831,  and  that  he  had  plural 
wives  sealed  to  him  as  early  as  1841.  The  probability 
is,  as  we  have  shown,  that  the  principle  was  in  his  mind 
as  early  as  1827,  and  the  reports  circulated  about  him 
and  other  leading  Mormons  in  the  '30*3  would  lead  us 
to  suspect  that  he  was  guilty  of  licentious  conduct  be- 
fore he  reached  Nauvoo.  On  this  point,  the  Deseret 
News,  a  Brighamite  organ,  says : 

The  revelation  on  celestial  marriage,  published  in  the  Doctrine 
and  Covenants,  was  given  July  12,  1843.  The  principles  it  con- 
tains, with  further  intelligence  on  the  same  subject,  were  revealed 
to  the  Prophet  many  years  before,  but  not  formulated  in  writing 
for  the  church.  Acting  under  instructions  from  the  Lord,  the 
Prophet  had  several  wives  sealed  to  him  before  the  date  of  that 
revelation.  There  are  other  matters  spoken  of  in  the  revelation 
that  pertained  to  the  time  when  it  was  written,  showing  that  the 
statement  in  the  heading,  as  it  appears  in  the  book,  is  correct; 
namely,  that  the  revelation  was  given  on  that  date,  although  the 
doctrines  it  contains  were  known  and  had  been  acted  upon  under 
special  instructions  previous  to  that  date. 

PREPARATION  OF  THE  PEOPLE  FOR  THE  "REVELATION." 

In  order  to  ascertain  just  how  the  Mormon  people 
would  take  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage,"  Smith 
hit  upon  a  novel  plan.  He  appointed  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Udney  H.  Jacobs  to  select  from  the  Old  Testament 
those  passages  pertaining  to  polygamy,  put  them  in 
pamphlet  form  and  advocate  the  doctrine.  This  Jacobs 
did,  and  the  pamphlet  was  published  by  the  Mormon 
paper,  the  Times  and  Seasons,  of  which  Smith  was  the 
editor.  But  the  pamphlet  caused  such  a  stir  in  the 
Mormon  camp  that  Smith  published  a  notice  in  the  issue 


80  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

of  that  paper  for  December  i,  1842,  in  which  he  posi- 
tively disclaimed  any  knowledge  of  the  character  of  its 
contents  at  the  time  in  which  it  was  published. 

There  was  a  book  printed  at  my  office  a  short  time  since, 
written  by  Udney  H.  Jacobs,  on  marriage,  without  my  knowl- 
edge ;  and  had  I  been  apprised  of  it,  I  should  not  have  printed  it ; 
not  that  I  am  opposed  to  any  man  enjoying  his  privileges,  but  I 
do  not  wish  to  have  my  name  associated  with  the  authors,  in  such 
an  unmeaning  rigmarole  of  nonsense,  folly  and  trash. 

JOSEPH  SMITH. 

But  this  notice  bears  the  ear-marks  of  evasion.  In 
the  first  place,  it  is  wholly  improbable  that  a  pamphlet 
or  book  on  such  a  subject  as  polygamy,  which  the  pre- 
ceding summer  had  been  charged  against  the  Mormons 
so  strongly  by  Bennett,  should  have  been  published  by 
a  paper  of  which  Smith  was  the  editor  without  his  at- 
tention being  called  to  it.  In  the  second  place,  he  states 
that  he  was  not  "opposed  to  any  man  enjoying  his 
privileges,"  but  that  he  did  not  wish  his  name  associated 
with  the  authors,  which  shows  that  he  was  not  opposed 
to  Jacobs  advocating  polygamy  if  he  wished  to,  so  long 
as  he  did  not  connect  his  name  with  it.  And,  in  the 
third  place,  he  did  not  brand  polygamy  as  a  sin  and 
openly  condemn  it,  but  simply  spoke  of  the  pamphlet 
as  "an  unmeaning  rigmarole  of  nonsense,  folly  and 
trash." 

John  D.  Lee,  of  Mountain-Meadows-massacre  fame, 
who  was  an  elder  in  good  standing  in  the  church  at 
that  time,  in  his  "Mormonism  Unveiled,"  page  146,  gives 
us  the  following  interesting  information  on  the  relations 
of  Smith  and  Jacobs : 

During  the  winter,  Joseph,  the  Prophet,  set  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Sidney  Hay  Jacobs,  to  select  from  the  Old  Bible  such 
scriptures  as  pertained  to  polygamy,  or  celestial  marriage,  and  to 
write  it  in  pamphlet  form,  and  to  advocate  that  doctrine.  This 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  81 

he  did  as  a  feeler  among  the  people,  to  pave  the  way  for  celestial 
marriage.  This,  like  all  other  notions,  met  with  opposition,  while 
a  few  favored  it.  The  excitement  among  the  people  became  so 
great  that  the  subject  was  laid  before  the  Prophet.  No  one 
was  more  opposed  to  it  than  was  his  brother  Hyrum,  who  de- 
nounced it  as  from  beneath.  Joseph  saw  that  it  would  break  up 
the  Church,  should  he  sanction  it,  so  he  denounced  the  pamphlet 
through  the  Wasp,  a  newspaper  published  at  Nauvoo,  by  E. 
Robinson,  as  a  bundle  of  nonsense  and  trash.  He  said  if  he  had 
known  its  contents  he  would  never  have  permitted  it  to  be  pub- 
lished, while  at  the  same  time  other  confidential  men  were  ad- 
vocating it  on  their  own  responsibility.  Joseph  himself  said  on 
the  stand,  that  should  he  reveal  the  will  of  God  concerning  them, 
that  they,  pointing  to  President  W.  Marks,  P.  P.  Pratt  and 
others,  would  shed  his  blood.  He  urged  them  to  surrender 
themselves  to  God  instead  of  rebelling  against  the  stepping-stone 
of  their  exaltation.  In  this  way  he  worked  upon  the  feelings 
and  minds  of  the  people  until  they  feared  that  the  anger  of  the 
Lord  would  be  kindled  against  them,  and  they  insisted  upon 
knowing  the  will  of  heaven  concerning  them.  But  he  dared  not 
proclaim  it  publicly,  so  it  was  taught  confidentially  to  such  as 
were  strong  enough  in  the  faith  to  take  another  step.  About  the 
same  time  the  doctrine  of  "sealing"  for  an  eternal  state  was 
introduced,  and  the  Saints  were  given  to  understand  that  their 
marriage  relations  with  each  other  were  not  valid. 

And  yet  poor  Jacobs  has  been  made  to  bear  the 
entire  curse  of  Josephite  Mormonism  for  the  part  he 
played  at  that  time,  and  the  "Lord's  Anointed"  is  per- 
mitted to  go  free!  Charles  Wesley  Wandell,  a  Josephite 
elder,  in  an  open  letter  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  says: 

In  so  far  as  polygamy  is  concerned,  its  first  connection  with 
the  Mormons  is  traceable  to  Udney  R.  Jacobs'  pamphlet,  and  no 
further.  This  man,  an  elder  in  the  Church,  in  1843,  at  Nauvoo, 
published  a  pamphlet,  in  which  he  discoursed  of  the  polygamy 
of  the  ancient  patriarchs  and  kings  of  Judea,  and  defended  the 
practice  on  both  scriptural  and  physiological  grounds.  Joseph 
Smith  before  the  congregation  and  elsewhere,  emphatically  and 


B2  THE    TRUE    ORIGIN   OF 

unmistakably  condemned  this  pamphlet  and  its  doctrine. — Saints' 
Advocate,  Vol.  III.,  p.  19.* 

The  facts  are,  however,  that  Jacobs  wrote  the  pam- 
phlet under  the  direction  of  Smith,  and  that  when  he  had 
served  the  Prophet's  purpose  and  had  unwittingly  been 
the  means  by  which  the  latter  discovered  how  the  people 
would  take  plural  marriage,  he  was  made  his  scapegoat 
and  was  sacrificed  by  him  as  Cowdery,  Whitmer  and 
Harris  had  been  before.  Smith  sought  to  rise,  not  by 
good  and  virtuous  deeds,  but  on  the  ruined  characters 
of  men,  many  of  whom  he  himself  had  caused  to  fall. 

now  THE  "REVELATION"  CAME  TO  BE  WRITTEN. 

At  the  time  that  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Mar- 
riage" was  put  in  writing,  Elder  William  Clayton  was 
confidential  clerk  of  the  Prophet  and  it  was  he  who 
wrote  the  "Revelation"  down  as  it  was  dictated  to  him. 
In  his  affidavit,  dated  at  Salt  Lake  City,  February  16, 
1874,  he  tells  the  following  story : 

Inasmuch  as  it  may  be  interesting  to  future  generations  of 
the  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day 
Saints  to  learn  something  of  the  first  teachings  of  the  principle 
of  plural  marriage  by  President  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet,  seer, 
revelator  and  translator  of  said  church,  I  will  give  a  short  rela- 
tion of  facts  which  occurred  within  my  personal  knowledge, 
and  also  matters  related  to  me  by  President  Joseph  Smith. 

I  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  President  Joseph  Smith's  office, 
under  Elder  WillarJ  Richards,  and  commenced  to  labor  in  the 
office  on  the  loth  day  of  February,  1842.  I  continued  to  labor 
with  Elder  Richards  until  he  went  East  to  fetch  his  wife  to 
Nauvoo. 

After  Elder  Richards  started  East,  I  was  necessarily  thrown 
constantly  into  the  company  of  President  Smith,  having  to  attend 
to  his  public  and  private  business,  receiving  and  recording  tith- 
ings  and  donations,  attending  to  land  and  other  matters  of 

*I  have  copied  this  from  W.  J.  Smith's  "Joseph  Smith:  Who  Was 
He?"  p.  68. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  83 

business.  During  this  period  1  necessarily  became  well  acquainted 
with  Emma  Smith,  the  wife  of  the  prophet  Joseph,  and  also 
with  the  children — Julia  M.  (an  adopted  daughter),  Joseph, 
Frederick  and  Alexander — very  much  of  the  business  being 
transacted  at  the  residence  of  the  prophet. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1842,  in  the  presence  of  Bishop 
Newell  K.  Whitney  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Ann,  President 
Joseph  Smith  appointed  me  temple  recorder,  and  also  his  private 
clerk,  placing  all  records,  books,  papers,  etc.,  in  my  care,  and 
requiring  me  to  take  charge  of  and  preserve  them,  his  closing 
words  being,  "When  I  have  any  revelations  to  write,  you  are  the 
one  to  write  them." 

During  this  period  the  prophet  Joseph  frequently  visited  my 
house  in  my  company,  and  became  well  acquainted  with  my 
wife  Ruth,  to  whom  I  had  been  married  five  years.  One  day 
in  the  month  of  February,  1843,  date  not  remembered,  the 
prophet  invited  me  to  walk  with  him.  During  our  walk  he  said 
he  had  learned  that  there  was  a  sister  back  in  England  to 
whom  I  was  very  much  attached.  I  replied  there  was,  but 
nothing  further  than  an  attachment  such  as  brother  and  sister 
in  the  church  might  rightfully  entertain  for  each  other.  He 
then  said:  ''Why  don't  you  send  for  her?"  I  replied:  "In  the 
first  place,  I  have  no  authority  to  send  for  her,  and  if  I  had,  I 
have  not  the  means  to  pay  expenses."  To  this  he  answered: 
"I  give  you  authority  to  send  for  her,  and  I  will  furnish 
you  the  means,"  which  he  did.  This  was  the  first  time  the 
prophet  Joseph  talked  with  me  on  the  subject  of  plural  marriage. 
He  informed  me  that  the  doctrine  and  principle  was  right  in  the 
sight  of  our  heavenly  Father,  and  that  it  was  a  doctrine  which 
pertained  to  celestial  order  and  glory.  After  giving  me  lengthy 
instructions  and  information  concerning  the  doctrine  of  celestial 
or  plural  marriage,  he  concluded  his  remarks  by  the  words,  "It 
is  your  privilege  to  have  all  the  wives  you  want."  After  this 
introduction  our  conversations  on  the  subject  of  plural  marriage 
were  very  frequent,  and  he  appeared  to  take  particular  pains  to 
inform  and  instruct  me  in  respect  to  the  principle.  He  also 
informed  me  that  he  had  other  wives  living  besides  his  first  wife 
Emma,  and  in  particular  gave  me  to  understand  that  Eliza  R. 
Snow,  Louisa  Beaman,  Desdemona  C.  Fullmer  and  others,  were 
his  lawful  wives  in  the  sight  of  Heaven. 


84  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

On  the  2;th  of  April,  1843,  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  mar- 
ried to  me  Margaret  Moon,  for  time  and  eternity,  at  the  residence 
of  Elder  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  on  the  22nd  of  July,  1843,  he 
married  to  me,  according  to  the  order  of  the  church,  my  first 
wife  Ruth. 

On  the  ist  day  of  May,  1843,  I  officiated  in  the  office  of  an 
elder  by  marrying  Lucy  Walker  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith, 
at  his  own  residence. 

During  this  period  the  Prophet  Joseph  took  several  other 
wives.  Amongst  the  number  I  well  remember  Eliza  Partridge, 
Emily  Partridge,  Sarah  Ann  Whitney,  Helen  Kimball  and  Flora 
Woodworth.  These  all,  he  acknowledged  to  me,  were  his  lawful, 
wedded  wives  according  to  the  celestial  order.  His  wife  Emma 
was  cognizant  of  the  fact  of  some,  if  not  all,  of  these  being  his 
wives,  and  she  generally  treated  them  very  kindly. 

On  the  morning  of  the  I2th  of  July,  1843,  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
Smith  came  into  the  office  in  the  upper  story  of  the  "brick  store," 
on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river.  They  were  talking  on  the 
subject  of  plural  marriage.  Hyrum  said  to  Joseph,  "If  you 
will  write  the  revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage,  I  will  take  and 
read  it  to  Emma,  and  I  believe  I  can  convince  her  of  its  truth, 
and  you  will  hereafter  have  peace."  Joseph  smiled  and  re- 
marked, "You  do  not  know  Emma  as  well  as  I  do."  Hyrum  re- 
marked, "The  doctrine  is  so  plain,  I  can  convince  any  reasonable 
man  or  woman  of  its  truth,  purity  and  heavenly  origin,"  or  words 
to  that  effect.  Joseph  then  said,  "Well,  I  will  write  the  revela- 
tion and  we  will  see."  He  then  requested  me  to  get  paper  and 
prepare  to  write.  Hyrum  very  urgently  requested  Joseph  to 
write  the  revelation  by  means  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  but 
Joseph  in  reply  said  he  did  not  need  to,  for  he  knew  the  revela- 
tion perfectly  from  beginning  to  end. 

Joseph  and  Hyrum  then  sat  down  and  Joseph  commenced  to 
dictate  the  revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage,  and  I  wrote  it,  sen- 
tence by  sentence,  as  he  dictated.  After  the  whole  was  written, 
Joseph  asked  me  to  read  it  through  slowly  and  carefully,  which 
I  did,  and  he  pronounced  it  correct.  He  then  remarked  that 
there  was  much  more  that  he  could  write,  on  the  same  subject, 
but  what  was  written  was  sufficient  for  the  present. 

Hyrum  then  took  the  revelation  to  read  to  Emma.  Joseph 
remained  with  me  in  the  office  until  Hyrum  returned.  When  he 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  85 

came  back  Joseph  asked  him  hcrv  he  had  succeeded.  Hyrum  re- 
plied that  he  had  never  received  a  more  severe  talking  to  in 
his  life,  that  Emma  was  very  bitter  and  full  of  resentment  and 
anger. 

Joseph  quietly  remarked,  "I  told  you  you  did  not  know  Emma 
as  well  as  I  did."  Joseph  then  put  the  revelation  in  his  pocket, 
and  they  both  left  the  office. 

The  revelation  was  read  to  several  of  the  authorities  during 
the  day.  Towards  evening  Bishop  Newell  K.  Whitney  asked 
Joseph  if  he  had  any  objections  to  his  taking  a  copy  of  the  reve- 
lation; Joseph  replied  that  he  had  not,  and  handed  it  to  him. 
It  was  carefully  copied  the  following  day  by  Joseph  C.  Kings- 
bury.  Two  or  three  days  after  the  revelation  was  written  Joseph 
related  to  me  and  several  others  that  Emma  had  so  teased  and 
urgently  entreated  him  for  the  privilege  of  destroying  it,  that  he 
became  so  weary  of  her  teasing,  and  to  get  rid  of  her  annoyance, 
he  told  her  she  might  destroy  it  and  she  had  done  so,  but  he 
had  consented  to  her  wish  in  this  matter  to  pacify  her,  realizing 
that  he  knew  the  revelation  perfectly  and  could  rewrite  it  at 
any  time  if  necessary. 

The  copy  made  by  Joseph  C.  Kingsbury  is  a  true  and  correct 
copy  of  the  original  in  every  respect.  The  copy  was  carefully 
preserved  by  Bishop  Whitney,  and  but  few  knew  of  its  ex- 
istence until  the  temporary  location  of  the  Camp  of  Israel  at 
Winter  Quarters,  on  the  Missouri  River,  in  1846. 

After  the  revelation  on  celestial  marriage  was  written  Joseph 
continued  his  instructions,  privately,  on  the  doctrine,  to  myself 
and  others,  and  during  the  last  year  of  his  life  we  were  scarcely 
ever  together,  alone,  but  he  was  talking  on  the  subject,  and  ex- 
plaining that  doctrine  and  principles  connected  with  it.  He  ap- 
peared to  enjoy  great  liberty  and  freedom  in  his  teachings,  and 
also  to  find  great  relief  in  having  a  few  to  whom  he  could  un- 
bosom his  feelings  on  that  great  and  glorious  subject. 

From  him  I  learned  that  the  doctrine  of  plural  and  celestial 
marriage  is  the  most  holy  and  important  doctrine  ever  revealed 
to  man  on  the  earth,  and  that  without  obedience  to  that  principle 
no  person  can  ever  attain  to  the  fullness  of  exaltation  in  celestial 
glory. 

The  reader  will  discover,  as  we  proceed,  that  Clay- 
ton's testimony  agrees  with  that  of  others  to  be  given. 


86  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 


THE 

The  following  is  the  celebrated  "Revelation  on  Celes- 
tial Marriage,"  said  to  have  been  received  July  12,  1843 :' 

1.  Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord  unto  you,  my  servant  Joseph, 
that  inasmuch  as  you  have  enquired  of  my  hand,  to  know  and 
understand  wherein  I,  the  Lord,  justified  my  servants  Abraham, 
Isaac  and  Jacob ;  as  also  Moses,  David  and  Solomon,  my  servants, 
as  touching  the   principle  and   doctrine   of   their   having   many 
wives  and  concubines:  Behold!  and  lo,  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  will  answer  thee  as  touching  this  matter :  Therefore,  prepare 
thy  heart  to  receive  and  obey  the  instructions  which  I  am  about 
to  give  unto  you ;  for  all  those  who  have  this  law  revealed  unto 
them  must  obey  the  same;  for  behold!  I  reveal  unto  you  a  new 
and  an  everlasting  covenant;  and  if  ye  abide  not  in  that  cove- 
nant, then  are  ye  damned;  for  no  one  can  reject  this  covenant, 
and  be  permitted  to  enter  into  n"j  glory ;  for  all  who  will  have  a 
blessing  at  my  hands  shall  abide  the  law  which  was  appointed 
for  that  blessing,  and  the  conditions  thereof,  as  was  instituted 
from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world :  and  as  pertaining  to  the 
new  and  everlasting  covenant  it  was  instituted  for  the  fullness 
of  my  glory;  and  he  that  receiveth  a  fullness  thereof,  must  and 
shall  abide  the  law,  or  he  shall  be  damned,  saith  the  Lord  God. 

2.  And  verily  I  say  unto  you,  that  the  conditions  of  this  law 

1  In  his  "Diary"  for  July  12,  1843,  Joseph  made  the  following  entry: 
"Wednesday,  i2th.  I  received  the  following  revelation  in  the  presence 
of  my  brother  Ilyrum  and  Elder  William  Clayton:  [Here  follows  the  Rev- 
elation on  Celestial  Marriage.]  Hyrum  took  the  Revelation  and  read  it 
to  Emma." — Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XXI.,  pp.  715  and  731.  The  Josephites 
usually  try  to  evade  the  force  of  this  and  other  entries  in  Smith's  "Diary" 
by  questioning  its  authenticity.  They  assert  that  it  was  carried  to  Utah 
by  the  Brighamites,  and  that  these  entries  were,  or  may  have  been,  made 
by  that  church  in  order  to  sustain  their  positions.  But  one  thing  is  very 
noticeable:  they  question  the  correctness  of  this  "Diary"  only  when  it 
happens  to  conflict  with  their  opinions;  ordinarily  they  quote  from  it 
without  question.  For  proof  of  this,  I  refer  the  reader  to  the  extensive 
quotations  from  it  in  Heman  C.  Smith's  '"Church  History,"  Vols.  I.  and  II. 
These  quotations  cover  over  two  hundred  pages  of  these  volumes  by  actual 
count,  and  are  introduced  with  such  expressions  as  "Joseph  Smith  records 
the  following,"  "Joseph  writes,"  "We  quote  from  Joseph  Smith  as  fol- 
lows," "Joseph  states,"  etc.,  etc.  If  this  document  is  sufficiently  accurate 
to  be  quoted  as  good  history  to  establish  other  points,  why  is  it  not 
sufficiently  accurate  to  be  quoted  as  good  history  when  it  comes  to  establish 
the  polygamous  teachings  of  Joseph  Smith? 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  87 

are  these:  All  covenants,  contracts,  bonds,  obligations,  oathsr 
vows,  performances,  connections,  associations  or  expectations 
that  are  not  made  and  entered  into,  and  sealed  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  promise,  of  him  who  is  anointed,  both  as  well  for  time 
and  for  all  eternity,  and  that  too  most  holy  by  revelation  and 
commandment,  through  the  medium  of  mine  anointed  whom  f 
have  appointed  on  the  earth  to  hold  this  power,  (and  I  have  ap- 
pointed unto  my  servant  Joseph  to  hold  this  power  in  the  last 
days,  and  there  is  never  but  one  on  the  earth  at  a  time  on  which 
this  power  and  the  keys  of  this  priesthood  are  conferred},  are  of 
no  efficacy,  virtue  or  force  in  and  after  the  resurrection  from 
the  dead ;  for  all  contracts  that  are  not  made  unto  this  end,  have 
an  end  when  men  are  dead. 

3.  Behold!  mine  house  is  a  house  of  order,  saith  the  Lord 
God,  and  not  a  house  of  confusion.    Will  I  accept  of  an  offering, 
saith  the  Lord,  that  is  not  made  in  my  name?     Or,  will  I  re- 
ceive at  your  hands  that  which  I  have  not  appointed?    And  will 
I  appoint  unto  you,  saith  the  Lord,  except  it  be  by  law,  even  as  I 
and  my  Father  ordained  unto  you  before  the  world  was?    I  am 
the  Lord  thy  God,  and  I  give  unto  you  this  commandment,  that 
no  man  shall  come  unto  the  Father  but  by  me,  or  by  my  word 
which  is  my  law,  saith  the  Lord ;  and  every  thing  that  is  in  the 
world,  whether  it  be  ordained  of  men,  by  thrones,  or  principal- 
ities, or  powers,   or  things  of  name,  whatsoever  they  may  be, 
that  are  not  by  me  or  by  my  word,   saith  the  Lord,  shall  be 
thrown  down  and  shall  not  stand  after  men  are  dead,  neither 
in  nor  after  the  resurrection,  saith  the  Lord  your  God ;  for  what- 
soever things  remain  are  by  me;  and  whatsoever  things  are  not 
by  me  shall  be  shaken  and  destroyed. 

4.  Therefore,  if  a  man  marry  him  a  wife  in  the  world,  and 
he  marry  her  not  by  me,  nor  by  my  word ;  and  he  covenant 
with  her  so  long  as  he  is  in  the  world,  and  she  with  him,  their 
covenant  and  marriage  are  not  of  force  when  they  are  dead  and 
when  they  are  out  of  the  world ;  therefore,  they  are  not  bound 
by  any  law  when  they  are  out  of  the  world;  therefore,  when 
they  are  out  of  the  world  they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage,  but  are  appointed  angels  in  heaven,  which  angels  are 
ministering    servants,    to    minister    for    those    who    are    worthy 
of  a  far  more  and  an  exceeding,  and  an  eternal  weight  of  glory; 
for  these  angels  did  not  abide  my  law,  therefore  they  cannot  be 


88  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

enlarged,  but  remain  separately  and  singly,  without  exaltation  in 
their  saved  condition,  to  all  eternity,  and  from  henceforth  are 
not  gods,  but  are  angels  of  God  forever  and  ever. 

5.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife, 
and  make  a  covenant  with  her  for  time  and  for  all  eternity,  if 
that  covenant  is  not  by  me,  or  by  my  word,  which  is  my  law, 
and  is  not  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  through  him 
whom  I  have  anointed  and  appointed  unto  this  power,  then  it 
is  not  valid,  neither  of  force  when  they  are  out  of  the  world,  be- 
cause they  are  not  joined  by  me,  saith  the  Lord,  neither  by  my 
word ;  when  they  are  out  of  the  world,  it  cannot  be  received  there, 
because  the  angels  and  the  gods  are  appointed  there,  by  whom 
they  cannot  pass ;  they  cannot,  therefore,  inherit  my  glory,  for 
my  house  is  a  house  of  order,  saith  the  Lord  God. 

6.  And  again,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man  marry  a  wife 
by  my  word,  which  is  my  law,  and  by  the  new  and  everlasting 
covenant,  and  it  is  sealed  unto  them  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
promise,  by  him  who  is  anointed,  unto  whom  I  have  appointed 
this  power,  and  the  keys  of  this  priesthood;  and  it  shall  be  said 
unto  them,  ye  shall  come  forth  in  the  first  resurrection ;  and  if  it 
be  after  the  first  resurrection,  in  the  next  resurrection;  and 
shall  inherit  thrones,  kingdoms,  principalities,  and  powers,  domin- 
ions, all  heights  and  depths — then  shall  it  be  written  in  the 
Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  that  he  shall  commit  no  murder  whereby 
to  shed  innocent  blood,  and  if  ye  abide  in  my  covenant  and 
commit  no  murder  whereby  to  shed  innocent  blood,  it  shall  be 
done  unto  them  in  all  things  whatsoever  my  servant  hath  put 
upon  them,  in  time,  and  through  all  eternity,  and  shall  be  of 
full  force  when  they  are  out  of  the  world;  and  they  shall  pass 
by  the  angels  and  the  Gods,  which  are  set  there,  to  their  exalta- 
tion and  glory,  in  all  things,  as  hath  been  sealed  upon  their 
heads,  which  glory  shall  be  a  fullness  and  a  continuation  of  the 
seeds  forever  and  ever. 

7.  Then  shall  they  be  gods,  because  they  have  no  end;  there- 
fore shall  they  be  from  everlasting  to  everlasting  because  they 
continue;  then  shall  they  be  above  all,  because  all  things  are 
subject  unto  them.    Then  shall  they  be  gods,  because  they  have  all 
power,  and   the   angels   are    subject  unto  them. 

8.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  abide  my  law, 
ye   cannot   attain   to   this  glory;   for   straight  is   the  gate   and 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  89 

narrow  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  the  exaltation  and  continua- 
tion of  the  lives,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it,  because  ye  re- 
ceive me  not  in  the  world,  neither  do  ye  know  me.  But  if  ye 
receive  me  in  the  world,  then  shall  ye  know  me,  and  shall  receive 
your  exaltation,  that  where  I  am,  ye  shall  be  also.  This  is 
eternal  lives,  to  know  the  only  wise  and  true  God  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  he  hath  sent.  I  am  he.  Receive  ye,  therefore,  my 
law.  Broad  is  the  gate,  and  wide  the  way  that  leadeth  to  the 
death;  and  many  there  are  that  go  in  thereat;  because  they 
receive  me  not,  neither  do  they  abide  in  my  law. 

9.  Verily,  verily,   I  say  unto  you,  if  a  man   marry  a  wife 
according  to  my  word,  and  they  are  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  promise,  according  to  mine  appointment,  and  he  or  she  shall 
commit   any  sin   or  transgression   of   the   new   and   everlasting 
covenant  whatever,  and  all  manner  of  blasphemies,  and  if  they 
commit    no    murder,    wherein    they    shed    innocent    blood — yet 
they  shall  come  forth  in  the  first  resurrection,  and  enter  into 
their  exaltation ;  but  they  shall  be  destroyed  in  the  flesh,  and  shall 
be  delivered  unto  the  buffetings  of  Satan  unto  the  day  of  re- 
demption, saith  the  Lord  God. 

10.  The  blasphemy  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  shall  not  be 
forgiven  in  the  world,  nor  out  of  the  world,  is  in  that  ye  commit 
murder  wherein  ye  shed  innocent  blood,   and  assent  unto  my 
death,  after  ye  have  received  my  new  and  everlasting  covenant, 
saith  the  Lord  God;  and  he  that  abideth  not  this  law,  can  in 
no  wise  enter  into  my  glory,  but  shall  be   damned,   saith  the 
Lord. 

11.  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  give  unto  thee  the  law 
of  my  holy  priesthood,  as  was  ordained  by  me  and  my  Father, 
before  the  world  was.    Abraham  received  all  things,  whatsoever 
he  received,  by  revelation  and  commandment,  by  my  word,  saith 
the  Lord,  and  hath  entered  into  his  exaltation,  and  sitteth  upon 
his  throne. 

12.  Abraham  received  promise  concerning  his  seed,  and  of  the 
fruit  of  his  loins — from  whose  loins  ye  are,  namely,  my  servant 
Joseph — which  were  to  continue  so  long  as  they  were  in  the 
world;  and  as  touching  Abraham  and  his  seed,  out  of  the  world 
they  should  continue;  both  in  the  world  and  out  of  the  world 
should  they  continue  as  innumerable  as  the  stars ;  or,  if  ye  were 
to  count  the  sand  upon  the  seashore,  ye  could  not  number  them. 

(7) 


90  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

This  promise  is  yours,  also,  because  ye  are  of  Abraham,  and  the 
promise  was  made  unto  Abraham;  and  by  this  law  are  the 
continuation  of  the  works  of  my  Father,  wherein  he  glorifieth 
himself.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  do  the  works  of  Abraham ;  enter 
ye  into  my  law,  and  ye  shall  be  saved.  But  if  ye  enter  not  into 
my  law,  ye  cannot  receive  the  promise  of  my  Father,  which  he 
made  unto  Abraham. 

13.  God  commanded   Abraham,   and   Sarah   gave   Hagar  to 
Abraham  to  wife.    And  vhy  did  she  do  it?     Because  this  was 
the  law,  and  from  Hagar  sprang  many  people.    This,  therefore, 
was  fulfilling,  among  other  things,  the  promises.     Was  Abra- 
ham, therefore,  under  condemnation?     Verily  I   say  unto  you, 
Nay;  for  I,  the  Lord,  commanded  it.    Abraham  was  commanded 
to  offer  his  son  Isaac,  nevertheless  it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  not 
kill.     Abraham,  however,  did  not  refuse,  and  it  was  accounted 
unto  him  for  righteousness. 

14.  Abraham  received  concubines,  and  they  bare  him  children, 
and  it  was  accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness,  because  they 
were  given  unto  him,  and  he  abode  in  my  law,  as  Isaac  also,  and 
Jacob  did  none  other  things  than  that  which  they  were  com- 
manded ;  and  because  they  did  none  other  things  than  that  which 
they  were  commanded,  they  have  entered  into  their  exaltation, 
according  to  the  promise,  and  sit  upon  thrones,  and  are  not  angels, 
but  are  gods.    David  also  received  many  wives  and  concubines,  as 
also  Solomon  and  Moses  my  servants ;  as  also  many  others  of  my 
servants  from  the  beginning  of  creation  until  this  time;  and  in 
nothing  did  they  sin,  save  in  those  things  which  they  received 
not  of  me. 

15.  David's  wives  and  concubines  were  given  unto  him,  of 
me,  by  the  hand  of    Nathan,   my  servant,   and   others   of   the 
Prophets  who  had  the  keys  of  this  power;  and  in  none  of  these 
things  did  he  sin  against  me,  save  in  the  case  of  Uriah  and  his 
wife;  and,  therefore,  he  hath  fallen  from  his  exaltation,  and  re- 
ceived his  portion ;  and  he  shall  not  inherit  them  out  of  the  world ; 
for  I  gave  them  unto  another,  saith  the  Lord. 

16.  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  I  gave  unto  thee,  my  servant 
Joseph,   an  appointment;   and   restore  all   things;   ask  what  ye 
will,   and   it  shall  be  given  unto  you   according  to   my  word ; 
and  as  ye  have  asked  concerning  adultery — verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  if  a  man  receive  a  wife  in  the  new  and  everlasting 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  91 

covenant,  and  if  she  be  with  another  man,  and  I  have  not  ap- 
pointed unto  her  by  the  holy  anointing,  she  hath  committed 
adultery,  and  shall  be  destroyed.  If  she  be  not  in  the  new  and 
everlasting  covenant,  and  she  be  with  another  man,  she  has 
committed  adultery;  and  if  her  husband  be  with  another  woman, 
and  he  was  under  a  vow,  he  hath  broken  his  vow,  and  hath 
committed  adultery,  and  if  she  hath  not  committed  adultery,  but 
is  innocent,  and  hath  not  broken  her  vow,  and  she  knoweth  it, 
and  I  reveal  it  unto  you,  my  servant  Joseph,  then  shall  you 
have  power,  by  the  power  of  my  Holy  Priesthood,  to  take  her, 
and  give  her  unto  him  that  hath  not  committed  adultery,  but 
hath  been  faithful;  for  he  shall  be  made  ruler  over  many;  for 
I  have  conferred  upon  you  the  keys  and  power  of  the  Priesthood, 
wherein  I  restore  all  things,  and  make  known  unto  you  all  things 
in  due  time. 

17.  And  verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  whatsoever  you 
seal  on  earth,  shall  be  sealed  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  you  bind 
on  earth,  in  my  name  and  by  my  word,  saith  the  Lord,  it  shall 
be  eternally  bound  in  the  heavens ;  and  whosesoever  sins  you  re- 
mit on  earth,   shall  be  remitted  eternally  in  the  heavens;   and 
whosesoever  sins  you  retain  on  earth,  shall  be  retained  in  heaven. 

18.  And  again,  verily  I  say,  whomsoever  you  bless,   I  will 
bless,  and  whomsoever  you  curse,  I  will  curse,  saith  the  Lord; 
for  I,  the  Lord,  am  thy  God. 

19.  And  again,  verily  I   say  unto  you,   my  servant  Joseph, 
that  whatsoever  you  give  on  earth,  and  to  whomsoever  you  give 
any  one  on  earth,  by  my  word,  and  according  to  my  law,  it 
shall  be  visited  with  blessings,  and  not  cursings,  and  with  my 
power,   saith  the  Lord,  and   shall  be  without  condemnation  on 
earth,  and  in  heaven ;  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  be  with 
thee  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,  and  through  all  eternity; 
for  verily,  I  seal  upon  you  your  exaltation,  and  prepare  a  throne 
for  you   in   the  kingdom   of   my   Father,   with   Abraham   your 
father.     Behold,  I  have  seen  your  sacrifices  and  will  forgive  all 
your  sins ;  I  have  seen  your  sacrifices  in  obedience  to  that  which 
I  have  told  you;  go,  therefore,  and  I  make  a  way  for  your  es- 
cape, as  I  accepted  the  offering  of  Abraham,  of  his  son  Isaac. 

20.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  a  commandment  I  give  unto  mine 
handmaid,   Emma   Smith,  your  wife,  whom  I  have  given  unto 
you,   that   she   stay  herself,   and  partake   not   of   that  which   I 


92  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

commanded  you  to  offer  unto  her ;  for  I  did  it,  saith  the  Lord,  to 
prove  you  all,  as  I  did  Abraham ;  and  that  I  might  require  an 
offering  at  your  hand,  by  covenant  and  sacrifice;  and  let  mine 
handmaid,  Emma  Smith,  receive  all  those  that  have  been  given 
unto  my  servant,  Joseph,  and  who  are  virtuous  and  pure  before 
me;  and  those  who  are  not  pure,  and  have  said  they  were 
pure,  shall  be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord  God;  for  I  am  the  Lord 
thy  God,  and  ye  shall  obey  my  voice ;  and  I  give  unto  my  servant 
Joseph,  that  he  shall  be  made  ruler  over  many  things,  for  he 
hath  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  and  from  henceforth  I 
will  strengthen  him. 

21.  And  I  command  my  handmaid,   Emma   Smith,  to  abide 
and  cleave  unto  my  servant  Joseph,  and  to  none  else.     But  if 
she  will  not  abide  this  commandment,   she  shall  be  destroyed, 
saith  the  Lord;  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  will  destroy 
her,  if  she  abide  not  in  my  law ;  but  if  she  will  not  abide  this 
commandment  then  shall  my  servant  Joseph  do  all  things  for 
her,  even  as  he  hath  said ;  and  I  will  bless  him  and  multiply  him, 
and  give  unto  him  an  hundred   fold  in  this  world,  of  fathers 
and  mothers,  brothers  and  sisters,  houses  and  lands,  wives  and 
children,  and  crowns  of  eternal  lives  in  the  eternal  worlds.    And 
again,  verily,  I  say,  let  mine  handmaid  forgive  my  servant  Joseph 
his  trespasses;  and  then  shall  she  be  forgiven  her  trespasses, 
wherein  she  hath  trespassed  against  me;  and  I,  the  Lord  thy  God, 
will  bless  her,  and  multiply  her,  and  make  her  heart  to  rejoice. 

22.  And  again,   I  say,  let  not  my  servant  put  his  property 
out  of  his  hands,  lest  an  enemy  come  and  destroy  him,   for 
Satan  seeketh  to  destroy;  for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  he  is 
my  servant;  and  behold,  and  lo,  I  am  with  him,  as  I  was  with 
Abraham,  thy  father,  even  unto  his  exaltation  and  glory. 

23.  Now,  as  touching  the  law  of  the  priesthood,  there  are 
many  things  pertaining  thereunto.    Verily,  if  a  man  be  called  of 
my  Father,  as  was  Aaron,  by  mine  own  voice,  and  by  the  voice 
of  him  that  sent  me;  and  I  have  endowed  him  with  the  keys 
of  the  power  of  this  priesthood,  if  he  do  anything  in  my  name, 
and  according  to  my  law,  and  by  my  word,  he  will  not  commit 
sin,  and  I  will  justify  him.     Let  no  one,  therefore,  set  on  my 
servant  Joseph;  for  I  will  justify  him;  for  he  shall  do  the  sac- 
rifice which  I  require  at  his  hands,  for  his  transgressions,  saith 
the  Lord  your  God. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  93 

24.  And  again,  as  pertaining  to  the  law  of  the  Priesthood; 
if  any  man  espouse  a  virgin,  and  desire  to  espouse  another,  and 
the  first  give  her  consent ;  and  if  he  espouse  the  second,  and  they 
are  virgins,  and  have  vowed  to  no  other  man,  then  is  he  justi- 
fied; he  cannot  commit  adultery,  for  they  are  given  unto  him; 
for  he  cannot  commit  adultery  with  that  that  belongeth  unto  him 
and  to   no   one   else;    and   if    he  have   ten   virgins   given   unto 
him  by  this  law,  he  cannot  commit  adultery,   for  they  belong 
to  him,  and  they  are  given  unto  him,  therefore  is  he  justified. 
But  if  one  or  either  of  the  ten  virgins  after  she  is  espoused 
shall  be  with  another  man  she  has  committed  adultery,  and  shall 
be  destroyed;  for  they  are  given  unto  him  to  multiply  and  re- 
plenish the  earth,  according  to  my  commandment,  and  to  fulfill 
the  promise  which  was  given  by  my  Father  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world;   and  for  their  exaltation   in  the  eternal  worlds, 
that  they  may  bear  their  souls  of  men;  for  herein  is  the  work 
of  my  Father  continued,  that  he  may  be  glorified. 

25.  And   again,   verily,   verily  I   say  unto  you,   if  any  man 
have  a  wife  who  holds  the  keys  of  this  power,  and  he  teaches 
unto  her  the  law  of  my  priesthood  as  pertaining  to  these  things, 
then  shall  she  believe,  and  administer  unto   him,   or  she   shall 
be  destroyed,  saith  the  Lord  your  God;  for  I  will  destroy  her; 
for  I  will  magnify  my  name  upon  all  those  who   receive  and 
abide  in  my  law.    Therefore,  it  shall  be  lawful  in  me  if  she  re- 
ceive not  this  law,  for  him  to  receive  all  things  whatsoever  I, 
the  Lord  his  God,  will  give  unto  him,  because  she  did  not  min- 
ister unto  him  according  to  my  word;   and  she  then  becomes 
the  transgressor;  and  he  is  exempt  from  the  law  of  Sarah,  who 
administered  unto  Abraham  according  to  the  law,  when  I  com- 
manded Abraham  to  take  Hagar   to  wife.     And  now,  as  per- 
taining unto  this  law,  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  you,  I  will  reveal 
more   unto   you   hereafter;    therefore,    let   this    suffice    for   the 
present.    Behold,  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  Amen. 


JOSEPH  SMITH. 

Although  they  have  not  always  done  so,  the  Josephites 
now  unanimously  deny  that  Joseph  Smith  ever  had  any 
connection  with  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage," 


94  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

contending  that  it  was  undoubtedly  the  product  of  Brig- 
ham  Young,  and  that  it  was  first  brought  to  the  notice 
of  the  church  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  on  August  the 
2Qth,  1852,  eight  years  after  the  Prophet's  death.1  Elder 
Willard  J.  Smith,  one  of  their  leading  writers,  says: 

It  is  utterly  incredible  that  Joseph  Smith  ever  saw  or  heard 
of  that  sham  revelation.  There  is  not  one  scintilla  of  evidence, 
that  would  be  accepted  in  any  court  of  equity,  connecting  Joseph 
Smith  with  that  base  forgery.  All  the  evidence  which  would  be 
accepted  by  any  court  of  justice  contribute  to  show  the  absurdity 
and  folly  of  the  Brighamite  claim  that  Joseph  Smith  received  that 
revelation  on  July  I2th,  1843,  or  that  he  ever  taught  or  practiced 
polygamy;  and  this  extreme  absurdity  becomes  more  and  more 
apparent  the  further  one  proceeds  in  its  examination.  Not  one 
syllable  can  be  found  anywhere  where  Joseph  Smith  in  any  way 
ever  countenanced,  sanctioned  or  condoned  the  doctrine  of  polyg- 
amy, aside  from  that  sham  revelation;  and,  as  we  have  shown, 
this  bungling  thing  is  so  unlike  him  in  its  verbiage — so  unlike 
any  revelation  ever  given  to  the  church,  or  anything  ever  written 
or  spoken  by  him,  and  besides,  its  being  opposed  in  all  its  essen- 
tial features  to  everything  he  ever  did  give  to  the  church  or  the 
world,  and  then  its  being  kept  securely  hid  away  from  the 
church,  caged  up  under  that  "patent  lock"  for  more  than  eight 
years  after  Joseph's  death,  and  then  when  introduced,  being 
neither  in  the  handwriting  of  Joseph  Smith  nor  in  the  hand- 
writing of  any  scribe  or  secretary  ever  employed  by  him,  but 


1  "Who  is  the  author  of  this  immoral,  degrading  document?  Was  it 
Brigham  Young,  as  the  Reorganized  Church  has  tried  to  maintain?  or  was 
it  Joseph  Smith,  as  all  other  branches  of  the  Mormon  Church  have  ever 
declared  it  to  be?  Take  the  utterances  of  Brigham  Young  as  we  find  them 
in  the  'Journal  of  Discourses,'  published  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  other 
Mormon  publications,  and  compare  them  with  this  revelation  of  1843,  and 
you  will  discover  at  a  glance  that  Brigham  Young  could  not  have  been  its 
author;  the  language,  the  style  and  composition  are  not  his.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  compare  this  production  with  any  of  the  acknowledged  'rev- 
elations' of  the  Prophet,  especially  that  of  1841  (see  "Doc.  and  Cov.,"  p. 
301),  and  you  will  at  once  see  that  the  language,  the  diction  and  style 
are  unmistakably  peculiar  to  Joseph  Smith.  The  style  is  his,  the  language 
is  his,  and  the  conception  is  his." — D.  H.  Bays  in  his  "Doctrines  and 
Dogmas  of  Mormonism,"  p.  356.  Mr.  Bays  was  for  twenty-seven  years 
an  elder  in  the  Josephite  Church. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  95 

in  the  handwriting  of  one  of  Brigham's  colleagues,  and  no  wit- 
nesses to  it  attesting  its  genuineness  as  a  certified  copy  of  the 
original — not  a  thing  but  the  bare,  bald,  unqualified  statement  of 
the  notorious  polygamist,  Brigham  Young,  to  give  it  validity, 
and  it  just  seems  to  me,  with  this  array  of  facts  before  us,  that 
it  requires  more  credulity  and  less  brains  than  is  generally  needful 
for  ordinary  intelligence,  to  swallow  such  an  unreasonable  con- 
glomeration of  inconsistency. — Joseph  Smith:  Who  Was  He?, 
pp.  65,  66. 

I  can  not  refrain  from  saying,  after  going  over  the 
evidences,  that  the  assertions  made  in  the  foregoing  are 
utterly  baseless  and  that  there  is  abundant  evidence  that 
Joseph  Smith  both  taught  and  practiced  polygamy,  and 
was  the  author  of  the  notorious  revelation  in  question. 
There  is  one  feature  which  is  certainly  uncommendable 
in  the  book  from  which  this  quotation  is  taken:  it  pre- 
sents only  part  of  the  evidence  in  the  case,  and  from  this 
the  author  draws  his  conclusions.  While  he  emphasizes 
strongly  the  purported  statements  of  Emma  Smith  and 
the  denials  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  made  through  the 
Times  and  Seasons,  he  touches  only  lightly  a  few  of  the 
opposing  facts,  while  the  great  mass  of  evidence  on  the 
other  side  is  entirely  ignored.  But  this  is  not  exclusively 
the  weakness  of  this  writer,  for  all  Josephites  are  afflicted 
with  the  same  malady. 

In  order  to  show  that  polygamy  was  not  a  tenet  of  the 
Mormon  faith  until  after  the  Mormons  reached  Salt 
Lake  City,  the  Josephites  quote  certain  statements  made 
by  the  Brighamites  themselves. 

Geo.  Q.  Cannon  says: 

A  prevalent  idea  has  been,  that  this  prejudice  against  us  owes 
its  origin  and  continuation  to  our  belief  in  a  plurality  of  wives ; 
but  when  it  is  recollected  that  the  mobbings,  drivings  and  ex- 
pulsions from  Cities,  Counties  and  States  which  we  endured, 
and  our  exodus  to  these  mountains,  all  took  place  before  the 
revelation  of  that  doctrine  was  publicly  known,  it  will  be  seen, 


96  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

that  our  belief  in  it  has  not  been  the  cause  of  persecution.  .  .  . 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  were  persecuted  to  death  previous  to 
the  church  having  any  knowledge  of  this  doctrine. — Journal  of 
Discourses,  Vol.  XIV.,  pp.  165,  166. 

H.  B.  Clawson  says: 

Polygamy  at  that  time  (when  the  Mormons  left  Nauvoo) 
was  unknown  among  those  of  the  Mormon  faith.  .  .  .  The  doc- 
trine of  polygamy  wac  not  promulgated  until  they  got  to  Salt 
Lake;  not  in  fact  until  some  little  time  after  they  arrived  there. 
—Salt  Lake  Tribune,  Feb.  9,  1882. 

And  Lorenzo  Snow,  in  the  famous  Temple-lot  Suit, 
said: 

No,  sir,  the  church  never  accepted  the  revelation  on  polygamy 
during  the  lifetime  of  Joseph  Smith,  for  it  was  not  during  his 
lifetime  that  it  was  presented  to  the  church  for  acceptance. — 
Plaintiff's  Abstract,  p.  322. 

To  the  casual  reader,  these  quotations  may  appear  to 
be  virtual  concessions  that  polygamy  was  wholly  unknown 
as  a  doctrine  and  practice  until  after  the  immigration  to 
Utah.  But  when  they  are  taken  in  connection  with  their 
contexts  and  when  the  purpose  of  those  who  made  them 
is  discovered,  it  is  readily  seen  that  they  sustain  no 
such  conclusion.  In  the  first  place,  polygamy  was  prac- 
ticed at  Nauvoo,  as  we  know  by  the  testimonies  of  the 
Rigdons,  the  Laws,  Cowles,  Marks  and  scores  of 
others,  though  it  was  practiced  in  secret,  while,  in  the 
second,  it  was  not  "publicly"  known,  "promulgated"  nor 
"accepted"  as  a  revelation  by  the  "church"  (though  re- 
vealed to  and  accepted  by  a  few  of  Smith's  most  con- 
fidential followers)  until  the  Mormons  were  beyond  the 
reach  of  Uncle  Sam.  The  foregoing  statements,  then, 
may  all  be  true  and  yet  polygamy  may  have  flourished 
in  secret,  during  the  last  days  of  the  Mormon  Prophet, 
like  a  green  bay-tree. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  97 

When  the  Josephites  say  that  there  are  no  evidences 
to  connect  Smith  with  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Mar- 
riage," they  say  what  they  ought  to  know,  at  least,  is 
not  so.  This  revelation  was  received  on  July  12,  1843, 
and  on  August  12  following  was  read  before  the  High 
Council,  all  of  "whom  accepted  it  with  the  exception  of 
William  Marks,  the  President;  Austin  Cowles,  one  of 
his  Counselors,  and  Leonard  Soby.  I  shall  now  give 
the  testimonies  of  three  of  those  who  were  present  on  this 
occasion  and  heard  the  "Revelation"  read.  The  following 
is  the  affidavit  of  David  Fullmer: 

TERRITORY  OF  UTAH,    ^ 
County  of  Salt  Lake,  j  S: 

Be  it  remembered  on  this  fifteenth  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1869, 
personally  appeared  before  me,  James  Jack,  a  Notary  Public  in 
and  for  said  county,  David  Fullmer,  who  was  by  me  sworn  in 
due  form  of  law  and  upon  his  oath  saith,  that  on  or  about  the 
I2th  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1843,  while  in  meeting  with  the  High 
Council,  (he  being  a  member  thereof),  in  Hyrum  Smith's  brick 
office,  in  the  City  of  Nauvoo,  County  of  Hancock,  State  of 
Illinois,  Dunbar  Wilson  made  inquiry  in  relation  to  the  subject  of 
a  plurality  of  wives,  as  there  were  rumors  about  respecting  it, 
and  he  was  satisfied  there  was  something  in  those  remarks,  and 
he  wanted  to  know  what  it  was,  upon  which  Hyrum  Smith 
stepped  across  the  road  to  his  residence,  and  soon  returned, 
bringing  with  him  a  copy  of  the  revelation  on  celestial  marriage, 
given  to  Joseph  Smith,  July  12,  A.  D.  1843,  and  read  the  same 
to  the  High  Council,  and  bore  testimony  of  its  truth.  The  said 
David  Fullmer  further  said  that  to  the  best  of  his  memory  and 
belief,  the  following  named  persons  were  present:  William 
Marks,  Austin  A.  Cowles,  Samuel  Bent,  George  W.  Harris,  Dun- 
bar  Wilson,  Wm.  Huntington,  Levi  Jackman,  Aaron  Johnson, 
Thomas  Grover,  David  Fullmer,  Phineas  Richards,  James  Allred 
and  Leonard  Soby.  And  the  said  David  Fullmer  further  saith 
that  Wm.  Marks,  Austin  A.  Cowles  and  Leonard  Soby  were 
the  only  persons  present  who  did  not  receive  the  testimony  of 
Hyrum  Smith,  and  that  all  the  others  did  receive  it  from  the 
teaching  and  testimony  of  the  said  Hyrum  Smith.  And  further, 


98  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

that  the  copy  of  said  revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage,  published 
in  the  Deseret  News  extra  of  September  fourteenth,  A.  D.  1852, 
is  a  true  copy  of  the  same.  DAVID  FULLMER. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  David  Fullmer  the  day 
and  year  first  above  written.  JAMES  JACK,  Notary  Public. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  written 
by  Thomas  Grover,  another  member  of  the  High  Council 
at  Nauvoo: 

The  High  Council,  of  Nauvoo,  was  called  together  by  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  to  know  whether  they  would  accept  the 
revelation  on  celestial  marriage  or  not. 

The  presidency  of  the  Stake,  Wm.  Marks,  Father  Coles  and 
the  late  Apostle  Charles  C.  Rich,  were  there  present.  The 
following  .are  the  names  of  the  High  Council  that  were  present, 
in  their  order,  viz:  Samuel  Bent,  William  Huntington,  Alpheus 
Cutler,  Thomas  Grover,  Lewis  D.  Wilson,  David  Fullmer,  Aaron 
Johnson,  Newel  Knight,  Leonard  Soby,  Isaac  Allred,  Henry  G. 
Sherwood  and,  I  think,  Samuel  Smith. 

Brother  Hyrum  Smith  was  called  upon  to  read  the  revela- 
tion. He  did  so,  and  after  reading  it  said:  "Now,  you  that  be- 
lieve this  revelation  and  go  forth  and  obey  the  same  shall  be 
saved,  and  you  that  reject  it  shall  be  damned." 

We  saw  this  prediction  verified  in  less  than  one  week.  Of  the 
Presidency  of  the  Stake,  William  Marks  and  Father  Coles  re- 
jected the  revelation;  of  the  Council  that  were  present,  Leonard 
Soby  rejected  it.  From  that  time  forward  there  was  a  very 
strong  division  in  the  High  Council.  These  three  men  greatly 
diminished  in  spirit  day  after  day,  so  that  there  was  a  great 
difference  in  the  line  of  their  conduct,  which  was  perceivable 
to  every  member  that  kept  the  faith. 

From  that  time  forward  we  often  received  instructions  from 
the  Prophet  as  to  what  was  the  will  of  the  Lord  and  how  to 
proceed. 

The  following  is  the  affidavit  of  Leonard  Soby: 

STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY,  ) 

C.  ^Q 
County  of  Burlington.    J 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  fourteenth  day  of  November, 
A.  D.  1883,  personally  appeared  before  me,  J.  W.  Roberts,  a 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  99 

Justice  of  the  Peace,  county  and  State  aforesaid,  Leonard  Soby, 
who  was  by  me  sworn  in  due  form  of  law,  and  upon  oath 
saith,  that  on  or  about  the  I2th  day  of  August,  1843,  in  the  city 
of  Nauvoo,  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  the  county  of  Hancock, 
before  the  High  Council  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter 
Day  Saints,  of  which  body  and  council  aforesaid  he  was  a 
member,  personally  appeared  one  Hyrum  Smith,  of  the  first  presi- 
dency of  said  church,  and  brother  to  Joseph  Smith,  the  presi- 
dent and  prophet  of  the  same,  and  presented  to  said  council  the 
Revelation  on  Polygamy,  enjoining  its  observance  and  declaring  it 
came  from  God;  unto  which  a  large  majority  of  the  council 
agreed  and  assented  believing  it  to  be  of  a  celestial  order, 
though  no  vote  was  taken  upon  it,  for  the  reason  that  the  voice 
of  the  prophet,  in  such  matters,  was  understood  by  us  to  be  the 
voice  of  God  to  the  church,  and  that  said  revelation  was  pre- 
sented to  said  council,  as  before  stated,  as  coming  from  Joseph 
Smith,  the  prophet  of  the  Lord,  and  was  received  by  us  as 
other  revelations  had  been.  The  said  Leonard  Soby  further  saith 
that  Elder  Austin  A.  Cowles,  a  member  of  the  High  Council 
aforesaid,  did,  subsequently  to  the  I2th  day  of  August,  1843, 
openly  declare  against  the  said  revelation  on  polygamy,  and  the 
doctrines  therein  contained.  LEONARD  SOBY. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Leonard  Soby,  the  day 
and  year  first  above  written.  JOSHUA  W.  ROBERTS, 

Justice  of  the  Peace.1 

These  testimonies  were  presented  to  the  public  in 
the  year  1886,  in  a  discussion  carried  on  through  the 
columns  of  the  Utah  Journal,  of  Logan,  Utah,  by  Joseph 
Smith,  representing  the  Josephites,  and  L.  O.  Littlefield, 
representing  the  Brighamites.  During  this  discussion, 

1  Soby  has  left  another  affidavit,  made  on  March  23,  1886,  in  which 
he  says:  "I  have  read  and  examined  carefully  said  revelation,  since  pub- 
lished in  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants  of  said  Church,  and  say 
to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  belief  it  is  the  same,  word  for  word,  as 
the  revelation  then  read  by  Hyrum  Smith.  The  deponent  says  further, 
that  the  revelation  did  not  originate  with  Brigham  Young,  as  some  persons 
have  "falsely  stated,  but  was  received  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and 
read  in  the  High  Council  by  his  authority  as  a  revelation  to  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints."  At  the  time  that  Soby  made  his 
affidavits,  he  was  not  a  member  of  the  Mormon  Church. 


100  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

the  President  of  the  Reorganized  Church  challenged  his 
opponent  to  give  the  names  of  those  who  were  present 
and  heard  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage"  read 
before  the  High  Council,  and  these  statements  were  the 
answer  to  that  challenge. 

The  testimonies  of  Fullmer,  Grover  and  Soby  estab- 
lish that  there  was  a  revelrtion  on  "Celestial  Marriage" 
in  Nauvoo  before  the  Prophet's  death ;  that  this  revelation 
was  read  before  the  High  Council  on  the  I2th  of  August, 
1843,  by  his  brother  Hyrum,  who  declared  that  it  came 
from  God;  and  that  it  was  received  as  of  divine  origin 
by  a  majority  of  those  who  were  present.  Through  whom 
did  this  revelation  come?  There  can  be  but  one  answer 
to  this  question — It  came  through  Joseph  Smith,  and 
Joseph  Smith  alone. 

But,  behold,  verily,  verily  I  say  unto  thee,  No  one  shall  be 
appointed  to  receive  commandments  and  revelations  in  this 
church  excepting  my  servant  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  for  he  receiveth 
them  even  as  Moses. — Revelation  given  through  Smith  to  Cow- 
dery,  "Doctrine  and  Covenants"  Section  27. 

Ebenezer  Robinson,1  who  was  with  the  church  through 
the  trying  scenes  at  Nauvoo,  gives  us  the  following 
interesting  information  on  the  condition  of  things  as  they 
existed  in  1843 : 

Nauvoo  was  denominated  a  stake  of  Zion,  with  three  Presi- 
dents, and  a  High  Council.  Wm.  Marks  was  President,  Austin 
Cowles  and  Amasa  Lyman  as  his  counselors,  which  constituted 
the  three  Presidents  over  the  stake  and  High  Council. 

Presidents  Marks  and  Cowles  were  among  the  good,  solid 
men  of  the  age.  Both  were  opposed  to  polygamy,  but  Brother 
Cowles  was  far  more  outspoken,  and  energetic  in  his  opposition 

1  In  a  letter  to  Frank  Reynolds,  dated  at  Piano.  Illinois,  January  21, 
1867,  President  Joseph  Smith,  of  the  Reorganized  Church,  says  of  Rob- 
inson: "I  regard  Bro.  Robinson  as  one  of  a  scarce  work,  viz.:  a  noble- 
minded  man,  not  only  an  honourable  man  of  the  earth,  but  an  honourable 
man  of  Israel." — Return,  April,  1889. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  101 

to  that  doctrine  than  almost  any  other  man  in  Nauvoo.  In  fact, 
I  think,  his  opposition  excelled  all  others. 

Hyrum  opposed  it  at  first,  but  afterwards  became  its  warm 
advocate,  to  my  certain  knowledge. 

One  day,  in  July,  before  I  got  ready  to  start  on  my  mission 
to  New  York  State,  I  met  Bro.  Cowles  on  Main  Street,  when  he 
said  to  me :  "Brother  Robinson,  how  can  you  go  out  on  a  mis- 
sion under  these  circumstances,  with  things  as  they  are?"  I  re- 
plied :  "I  can  go  readily,  for  I  would  preach  the  gospel  of  our 
Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ."  "Yes,"  said  he,  "and  when 
people  have  obeyed  that,  have  them  come  here  to  this  sink  of 
iniquity."  I  replied,  "that  was  no  part  of  my  mission,  that 
when  they  obeyed  the  gospel  I  left  them  in  the  hands  of  their 
heavenly  Father,  before  him  they  must  stand  or  fall." 

On  the  I2th  of  this  July  it  is  claimed  the  revelation  on 
polygamy  was  given  through  Joseph  Smith.  I  did  not  see  the 
revelation,  but  was  told  a  few  days  after,  and  before  leaving 
Nauvoo,  that  such  a  revelation  had  been  given. 

I  started  on  'hat  mission  on  the  last  day  of  July,  1843, 
accompanied  by  my  v  ife,  Gen.  Wilson  Law  and  wife,  who  were 
going  to  Pennsylvania,  and  my  wife  to  stop  in  Ohio  visiting  our 
relatives  there,  while  I  should  prosecute  the  mission  in  the  state 
of  New  York. 

Gen.  Law  and  myself  employed  President  Wm.  Marks  to  take 
us  in  his  family  carriage  to  Chicago,  111.,  where  we  took  a 
steamer  for  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania.  On  our  way  to  Chicago  the 
subject  of  spiritual  wives,  or  polygamy,  was  freely  discussed, 
when  President  Marks  also  told  us  that  a  revelation  had  been 
received  on  the  subject,  or,  to  use  his  own  words,  "They  have 
got  a  revelation  on  the  subject." 

From  Bro.  Marks'  testimony  and  what  I  had  been  told  in 
Nauvoo,  before  leaving  home,  I  as  firmly  believed  that  Joseph 
Smith  had  given  a  revelation  on  polygamy  as  that  he  had  ever 
given  one  on  any  subject,  in  his  life. 

Notwithstanding  the  revelation,  every  member  of  our  party 
was  opposed  to  the  doctrine. 

We  returned  home  from  that  mission  the  latter  part  of 
November,  1843.  Soon  after  our  return,  I  was  told  that  when  we 
were  gone,  the  revelation  on  polygamy  was  presented  to,  and  read 
in,  the  High  Council  in  Nauvoo,  three  of  the  members  of  which 


102  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

refused  to  accept  it  as  from  the  Lord,  viz. :  Presidents  Marks  and 
Cowles,  and  Counsellor  Leonard  Soby.  At  that  time  and  place, 
and  on  that  occasion,  President  Austin  Cowles  resigned  his  po- 
sition as  one  of  the  presidents  of  the  High  Council,  which  neces- 
sarily included  his  presidency  of  the  church  at  Nauvoo.  After 
this  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  seceder,  and  no  longer  held  a 
prominent  place  in  the  church,  although  morally  and  religiously 
speaking,  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  place.1 

Return,  February,  1891. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  103 


CHAPTER   V. 

The  Nauvoo  "Expositor" — The  Events  Leading  up  to  Smith's 
Assassination — The  Charges  of  the  "Expositor" — The 
Charges  of  the  "Expositor"  Sustained. 

No  sooner  did  the  members  of  the  High  Council  and 
other  leading  Mormons  learn  that  their  Prophet  had  re- 
ceived a  revelation  authorizing  polygamy,  than  a  num- 
ber of  them  followed  his  example  and  married  plural 
wives.  On  the  other  hand,  a  large  and  influential  element 
rebelled,  refused  to  obey  the  revelation  and  accused  those 
living  up  to  the  "law  of  Sarah"  of  practicing  immorality. 
During  the  fall  of  1843  and  the  winter  of  1843-44,  the 
lines  became  distinctly  drawn  and  by  spring  the  Mormon 
priesthood  was  divided  into  two  contending  and  irrecon- 
cilable factions,  one  supporting  the  Smiths  and  polygamy, 
the  other  denouncing  both.1 


The  trouble  at  Nauvoo  reached  a  climax  on  the  i8th 
of  April,  1844,  when  several  prominent  Mormons  were 
cut  off  from  the  church  on  the  charge  of  "unchristian- 
like  conduct"  and  without  a  trial.  The  notice  of  this 

1  "I  have  tried  for  a  number  of  years  to  get  the  minds  of  the  Saints 
prepared  to  receive  things  of  God;  but  we  frequently  see  some  of  them, 
after  suffering  all  they  have  for  the  work  of  God,  will  fly  to  pieces  like 
glass  as  soon  as  anything  comes  that  is  contrary  to  their  traditions:  they 
can  not  stand  the  fire  at  all.  How  many  will  be  able  to  abide  a  celestial 
law,  and  go  through  and  receive  their  exaltation,  I  am  unable  to  say,  as 
many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen." — Extract  from  a  sermon  preached 
by  Smith  at  Nauvoo,  January  20,  1844  (Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XXII.,  p. 
664).  Polygamy  was  contrary  to  "tradition"  and  was  that  "celestial  law" 
by  which  the  Saints  received  their  "exaltation."  (See  "Revelation  on 
Celestial  Marriage,"  paragraph  8.) 


104  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

action,  which  appeared  in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  reads 
as  follows: 

NAUVOO,  April   18,   1844. 

Robert  D.  Foster,  Wilson  Law,  William  Law,  and  Jane  Law, 
of  Nauvoo,  and  Howard  Smith,  of  Scott  County,  Illinois,  for 
unchristianlike  conduct,  were  cut  off  from  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  by  the  authorities  of  said  Church, 
and  ordered  to  be  published  in  the  TIMES  AND  SEASONS. 

W.  RICHARDS,  Church  Recorder. 

This  was  followed,  on  the  6th  of  May,  with  the  arrest 
of  Smith  by  F.  M.  Higbee,  another  dissenter,  who  claimed 
damages  to  the  amount  of  five  thousand  dollars  for 
slander.  The  warrant  having  been  issued  by  the  clerk 
of  the  circuit  court  of  Carthage,  Smith  secured  a  writ 
of  habeas  corpus  and  was  tried  before  the  municipal 
court  at  Nauvoo  with  the  result  that  he  was  discharged, 
the  complainant  not  daring  to  appear  against  him. 

On  the  1 8th  of  the  same  month,  Higbee,  with  Austin 
Cowles,  James  Blakeslee1  and  Charles  Ivins,  was  ex- 
communicated on  the  charge  of  apostasy. 

On  June  7,  the  Nauvoo  Expositor  made  its  appear- 
ance. It  was  published  by  Sylvester  Emmans  and  was 
backed  by  the  Laws,  Fosters  and  other  apostates.  In  it, 
certain  charges  were  made  against  the  Smiths  and  a 
number  of  affidavits  were  given  to  sustain  them. 

On  the  loth  of  June,  the  city  council  declared  the 
Expositor  a  nuisance  and  the  mayor  was  ordered  to  have 


1  "Last  week,  individuals  of  the  Mormon  faith  (Messrs.  Blakesly  and 
Higbee),  representing  the  dissenters,  addressed  a  large  number  of  our 
citizens  in  reference  to  the  'flare-up'  at  Nauvoo.  We  were  not  present, 
but  have  it  from  others  who  were,  that  the  dissenters  made  out  that  Joe 
Smith  was  pretty  much  of  a  rough  customer,  especially  in  relation  to  the 
'spiritual  wife'  doctrine.  Their  whole  aim  was  principally  against  the 
church,  of  which  they  still  claimed  to  be  members.  They  painted  Smith 
as  anything  but  the  saint  he  claims  to  be,  and,  as  a  man,  to  the  last  degree 
corrupt  in  his  morals  and  religion." — Quincy  Whig,  May,  1844.  Blakeslee 
afterwards  became  an  apostle  in  the  Reorganized  Church. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  105 

it  removed  in  any  way  he  might  see  fit*  The  latter,  who 
was  none  other  than  Smith  himself,  then  issued  an  order 
to  the  marshal,  John  P.  Green,  who  proceeded  with  a 
posse  to  the  office  of  the  Expositor  and  destroyed  the 
press,  type,  paper  and  fixtures. 

Following  this,  the  apostates  fled  from  the  city  and 
procured  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Smith  and  several 
of  his  followers  on  the  charge  of  riot.  When  the  war- 
rant was  served,  the  Prophet  played  his  habeas  corpus 
game  again  and  so  secured  a  hearing  before  the  munici- 
pal court  at  Nauvoo,  by  which  he  was  discharged. 

By  the  advice  of  Judge  Jesse  B.  Thomas,  however, 
he  again  submitted  to  arrest,  evidently  to  satisfy  some 
legal  technicality,  and  was  tried  before  Daniel  H.  Wells, 
justice  of  the  peace  of  Nauvoo,  by  whom  he  was  again 
discharged. 

Following  this,  the  writ  for  riot  in  destroying  the 
Nauvoo  Expositor  being  renewed,  he  and  Hyrum  fled  to 
Iowa,  from  which  State  they  returned  to  Carthage  on  the 
24th  of  June  and  gave  themselves  up  to  be  tried  on  the 
charge  of  treason.  Here,  on  the  27th  of  the  same  month, 
they  met  their  tragic  end. 


Having  given  the  events  that  occurred  during  the 
two  or  three  months  preceding  the  Prophet's  death,  I  now 
pass  to  the  charges  that  were  made  against  him  and  his 
associates  in  the  Nauvoo  Expositor.  And  let  the  reader 
keep  in  mind  that  this  paper  was  published  twenty  days 
before  his  assassination. 

These  charges,  in  brief,  were:  (i)  Unfairly  cutting 
individuals  off  from  the  church.  (2)  Introducing  false 
and  damnable  doctrines,  such  as  Adam-god-ism  and 
polygamy.  (3)  Attempting  to  unite  church  and  state. 

(8) 


106  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

(4)  Manifesting  a  spirit  toward  Missouri  contrary  to 
Christianity.  (5)  Screening  certain  individuals  from 
justice.  (6)  Employing  their  ecclesiastical  positions  as 
an  influence  in  secular  affairs.  (7)  Countenancing  at- 
tendance at  houses  of  reveling,  dramshops,  dance-halls 
and  theaters.  (8)  Teaching  the  doctrine  of  gathering  in 
haste  and  by  sacrifice.  (9)  Using  the  church  funds  in 
speculation.  (10)  Organizing  secret  societies  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  church  and  under  penal  oaths  and  obliga- 
tions. And  (n)  countenancing  the  spoiling  of  the  Gen- 
tiles. 

There  is  no  question  that  the  authorities  of  the  church 
proceeded  unfairly,  and  with  the  evident  design  of  keep- 
ing hid  the  Prophet's  sins,  when  they  expelled  the  Laws, 
Foster  and  Smith.  The  account  of  their  action,  as  given 
in  the  Expositor,  is  as  follows: 

On  Thursday  evening,  the  i8th  of  April,  there  was  a  council 
called,  unknown  to  the  Church,  which  tried,  condemned,  and  cut 
off  brothers  Wm.  Law,  Wilson  Law,  and  sister  Law  (Wm/s 
wife),  brother  R.  D.  Foster,  and  one  brother  Smith,  with  whom 
we  are  unacquainted;  which  we  contend  is  contrary  to  the  book 
of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  for  our  law  condemns  no  man 
until  he  is  heard.  We  abhor  and  protest  against  any  council 
or  tribunal  in  this  church  which  will  not  suffer  the  accused  to 
stand  in  its  midst  and  plead  his  own  cause.  If  an  Agrippa 
would  suffer  a  Paul,  whose  eloquence  surpassed,  as  it  were, 
the  eloquence  of  men,  to  stand  before  him  and  plead  his  own 
cause,  why  should  Joseph,  with  others,  refuse  to  hear  individuals 
in  their  own  defense?  We  answer,  it  is  because  the  court  fears 
the  atrocity  of  its  crime  will  be  exposed  to  public  gaze.  We 
wish  the  public  to  thoroughly  understand  the  nature  of  this  court, 
and  judge  of  the  legality  of  its  acts  as  seem  to  them  good. 

On  Monday,  the  I5th  of  April,  brother  R.  D.  Foster  had  a 
notice  served  on  him  to  appear  before  the  High  Council  on 
Saturday  following,  the  2oth,  and  answer  to  the  charges  preferred 
against  him  by  Joseph  Smith.  On  Saturday,  while  Mr.  Foster 
was  preparing  to  take  his  witnesses,  41  in  number,  to  the 


BRIGHAM   YOUNG. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  107 

council-room,  that  he  might  make  good  his  charges  against 
Joseph,  president  Marks  notified  him  that  the  trial  had  been  on 
Thursday  evening,  before,  the  I5th  (i8th),  and  that  he  was  cut 
off  from  the  Church,  and  that  same  council  cut  off  the  brothers 
Law,  sister  Law,  and  brother  Smith,  and  all  without  their 
knowledge.  They  were  not  notified,  neither  did  they  dream 
of  any  such  thing  being  done,  for  William  Law  had  sent  Joseph 
and  some  of  the  Twelve  special  word  that  he  desired  an  investi- 
gation before  the  Church  in  General  Conference,  on  the  6th 
of  April.  The  court,  however,  was  a  tribunal  possessing  no 
power  to  try  Wm.  Law,  who  was  called  by  special  revelation 
to  stand  as  councillor  to  the  President  of  the  Church  (Joseph) 
which  was  twice  ratified  by  General  Conferences  assembled  at 
Nauvoo,  for  Brigham  Young,  one  of  the  Twelve,  presided, 
whose  duty  it  was  not,  but  the  President  of  the  High  Council. 

This  puts  the  matter  in  an  unfavorable  light  for 
Joseph  for  the  following  reasons :  First,  the  Laws,  and 
their  supporters,  had  made  certain  grave  charges  against 
him;  secondly,  they  had  the  witnesses  to  prove  their 
charges;  thirdly,  they  were  prevented  from  doing  so  by 
being  cut  off  secretly,  not  by  the  church  nor  the  High 
Council,  but  by  the  "authorities"  of  the  church ;  and, 
fourthly,  it  was  Brigham  Young,  the  arch-polygamist, 
who  presided  over  the  "court"  that  excommunicated  them. 
This  cowardly  and  unfair  procedure  plainly  indicates  that 
there  was  a  "nigger"  in  the  Mormon  woodpile  at  Nau- 
voo. Smith  was,  evidently,  afraid  to  have  Law  and  his 
witnesses  appear  before  the  General  Conference. 

The  Nauvoo  Expositor  boldly  charged  Smith  with 
practicing  spiritual  wifery: 

It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  many  females  in  foreign  climes 
and  in  countries  to  us  unknown,  even  in  the  most  distant 
regions  of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere,  have  been  induced,  by  the 
sound  of  the  gospel,  to  forsake  friends  and  embark  upon  a 
voyage  across  waters  that  lie  stretched  over  the  greater  portion 
of  the  globe,  as  they  suppose  to  glorify  God,  that  they  might 
thereby  stand  acquitted  in  the  great  day  of  God  Almighty.  But 


108  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

what  is  taught  them  on  their  arrival  at  this  place?  They 
are  visited  by  some  of  the  Strikers,  for  we  know  not  what  else 
to  call  them,  and  are  requested  to  hold  on  and  be  faithful,  for 
there  are  great  blessings  awaiting  the  righteous;  and  that  God 
has  great  mysteries  in  store  for  those  who  love  the  Lord  and 
cling  to  brother  Joseph.  They  are  also  notified  that  brother 
Joseph  will  see  them  soon  and  reveal  the  mysteries  of  Heaven 
to  their  full  understanding,  which  seldom  fails  to  inspire  them 
with  new  confidence  in  the  Prophet,  as  well  as  great  anxiety  to 
know  what  God  has  laid  up  in  store  for  them  in  return  for  the 
great  sacrifice  of  father  and  mother,  of  gold  and  silver,  which 
they  gladly  left  far  behind,  that  they  might  be  gathered  into  the 
fold  and  numbered  among  the  chosen  of  God.  They  are  visited 
again,  and  what  is  the  result?  They  are  requested  to  meet 
brother  Joseph,  or  some  of  the  Twelve,  at  some  isolated  point, 
or  at  some  particularly  described  place  on  the  bank  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, or  at  some  room,  which  wears  upon  its  front — 

POSITIVELY  NO  ADMITTANCE. 

The  harmless,  inoffensive  and  unsuspecting  creatures  are  so 
devoted  to  the  Prophet  and  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  they 
do  not  dream  of  the  deep  laid  and  fatal  scheme  which  prostrates 
happiness  and  renders  death  itself  desirable;  but  they  meet  him 
expecting  to  receive  through  him  a  blessing,  and  learn  the  will  of 
the  Lord  concerning  them,  and  what  awaits  the  faithful  follower 
of  Joseph,  the  Apostle  and  Prophet  of  God,  when  in  the  stead 
thereof  they  are  told,  after  having  been  sworn  in  one  of  the 
most  solemn  manners  to  never  divulge  what  is  revealed  to 
them,  with  a  penalty  of  death  attached,  that  God  Almighty  has 
revealed  it  to  him,  that  she  should  be  his  (Joseph's)  spiritual 
wife,  for  it  was  right  anciently  and  God  will  tolerate  it  again; 
but  we  must  keep  those  pleasures  and  blessings  from  the  world, 
for  until  there  is  a  change  in  the  government  we  will  endanger 
ourselves  by  practicing  it — but  we  can  enjoy  the  blessings  of 
Jacob,  David  and  others  as  well  as  to  be  deprived  of  them,  if 
we  do  not  expose  ourselves  to  the  law  of  the  land. 

What  gives  the  above  importance  in  the  present  con- 
sideration is  that  it  was  written  or  sanctioned  by  those 
who  were  in  a  position  to  know  whereof  they  affirmed 
and  that  it  was  published  twenty  days  before  the  Prophet 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  109 

was  shot.    Reader,  does  it  not  look  as  if  Joseph  Smith 
was  the  real  author  of  Mormon  polygamy,  after  all? 

Several  resolutions  appeared  in  the  Expositor,  one  of 
which  is  interesting  because  it  contains  the  charge  that 
polygamy  was  introduced  into  the  Mormon  Church  by 
Joseph  Smith  himself: 

Resolved  2nd,  Inasmuch  as  we  have  for  years  borne  with 
the  individual  follies  and  iniquities  of  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum 
Smith,  and  many  other  official  characters  in  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  (conceiving  it  a  duty  incumbent  on  us  to  bear), 
and  having  labored  with  them  repeatedly  with  all  Christian  love, 
meekness  and  humility,  yet  to  no  effect,  feel  as  if  forbearance 
has  ceased  to  be  a  virtue,  and  hope  of  reformation  vain;  and 
inasmuch  as  they  have  introduced  false  and  damnable  doctrines 
into  the  Church,  such  as  plurality  of  gods  above  the  God  of 
this  universe,  and  his  liability  to  fall  with  all  his  creations; 
the  plurality  of  wives  for  time  and  eternity;  the  doctrine  of 
unconditional  sealing  up  to  eternal  life,  against  all  crimes  except 
that  of  shedding  innocent  blood,  by  a  perversion  of  their  priestly 
authority,  and  thereby  forfeiting  the  holy  priesthood. 

Along  with  this  matter,  there  also  appeared  three 
affidavits,  one  from  William  Law,  another  from  his  wife, 
Jane,  and  another  from  Austin  Cowles,  certifying  that 
the  affiants  had  either  read  or  heard  read  the  "Revelation 
on  Celestial  Marriage."  These  affiants  agree  with  Full- 
mer, Grover  and  Soby  in  the  statements  which  they  have 
made. 

I  hereby  certify  that  Hyrum  Smith  did  (in  his  office)  read 
to  me  a  certain  written  document,  which  he  said  was  a  revelation 
from  God.  He  said  that  he  was  with  Joseph  when  it  was  re- 
ceived. He  afterwards  gave  me  the  document  to  read,  and  I 
took  it  to  my  house  and  read  it  and  showed  it  to  my  wife  and 
returned  it  the  next  day.  The  revelation  (so  called)  authorized 
certain  men  to  have  more  wives  than  one  at  a  time,  in  this  world 
and  in  the  world  to  come.  It  said  this  was  the  law,  and  com- 
manded Joseph  to  enter  into  the  law.  And,  also,  that  he  should 


110  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN  OF 

administer  to  others.    Several  other  items  were  in  the  revelation, 
supporting  the  above  doctrines.  WM.  LAW. 

I  certify  that  I  read  the  revelation  referred  to  in  the  above 
affidavit  of  my  husband.  It  sustained  in  strong  terms  the  doc- 
trine of  more  wives  than  one  at  a  time,  in  this  world  and 
in  the  next.  It  authorized  some  to  have  to  the  number  of  ten, 
and  set  forth  that  those  women  who  would  not  allow  their 
husbands  more  wives  than  one  should  be  under  condemnation 
before  God.  JANE  LAW. 

To  all  whom  it  may  concern: 

Forasmuch  as  the  public  mind  hath  been  much  agitated  by  a 
course  of  procedure  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter 
Day  Saints,  by  a  number  of  persons  declaring  against  certain 
doctrines  and  practices  therein  (among  whom  I  am  one),  it  is 
but  meet  that  I  should  give  my  reasons,  at  least  in  part,  as  a 
cause  that  hath  led  me  to  declare  myself.  In  the  latter  part  of 
the  summer,  1843,  the  patriarch,  Hyrum  Smith,  did,  in  the  High 
Council,  of  which  I  was  a  member,  introduce  what  he  said 
was  a  revelation  given  through  the  prophet;  that  the  said  Hyrum 
Smith  did  essay  to  read  the  said  revelation  in  the  said  Council; 
that  according  to  his  reading  there  was  contained  the  following 
doctrines:  1st,  the  sealing  up  of  persons  to  eternal  life,  against 
all  sin,  save  that  of  shedding  innocent  blood  or  of  consenting 
thereto;  2nd,  the  doctrine  of  a  plurality  of  wives  or  marrying 
of  virgins ;  that  "David  and  Solomon  had  many  wives,  yet  in 
this  thing  they  sinned  not,  save  in  the  matter  of  Uriah."  This 
revelation,  with  other  evidence  that  the  aforesaid  heresies  were 
taught  and  practiced  in  the  church,  determined  me  to  leave  the 
office  of  first  counselor  to  the  president  of  the  church  at  Nauvoo, 
inasmuch  as  I  dared  not  to  teach  or  administer  such  laws.  And 
further  deponent  saith  not.  AUSTIN  COWLES. 

The  foregoing  statements  were  all  sworn  and  sub- 
scribed to  before  Robert  D.  Foster,  justice  of  the  peace, 
at  Nauvoo,  on  the  4th  of  May,  1844. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  show,  by  certain  internal 
evidences,  that  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage," 
given  in  the  preceding  chapter,  was  the  one  that  was 
presented  to  the  High  Council  at  Nauvoo  on  the  I2th 


MORMON   POLYGAMY 


111 


of  August,  1843,  and  the  one  that  was  read  by  William 
Law  and  his  wife,  Jane,  later,  and  that  it  contains  certain 
doctrines  advocated  by  Joseph  Smith. 


EXTRACTS     FROM     THE     "REVELA- 
TION    ON     CELESTIAL     MAR- 
RIAGE." 

And  again,  as  pertaining  to 
the  law  of  the  PRIESTHOOD:  If 
any  man  espouse  a  VIRGIN,  and 
desire  to  espouse  another,  and 
the  first  give  her  consent ;  and 
he  espouse  the  second,  and  they 
are  VIRGINS,  and  have  vowed 
to  no  other  man,  then  is  he 
justified.  (Paragraph  24.) 

And  if  he  have  TEN  virgins 
given  unto  him  by  this  law,  he 
cannot  commit  adultery,  for 
they  belong  to  him.  (Par.  24.) 

And  again,  verily,  verily  I 
say  unto  you,  if  any  man  have 
a  wife  who  holds  the  keys 
of  this  power,  and  he  teaches 
unto  her  the  law  of  my  priest- 
hood as  pertaining  to  these 
things,  then  shall  she  believe, 
and  administer  unto  him,  or 
she  shall  be  DESTROYED.  (Par. 
25.) 

Go  ye,  therefore,  and  do  the 
works  of  Abraham;  ENTER  YE 
INTO  MY  LAW  and  ye  shall  be 
saved.  (Par.  12.) 

And  if  ye  abide  in  my  cove- 
nant, and  commit  no  murder 

WHEREBY      TO      SHED      INNOCENT 

BLOOD,    it    shall    be    done    unto 
them  in  all  things.     (Par.  6.) 


SWORN     STATEMENTS     MADE     BE- 
FORE THE  DEATH   OF   JOSEPH 
SMITH. 

The  revelation  authorized 
CERTAIN  MEN  to  have  more 
wives  than  one  at  a  time,  in 
this  world  and  in  the  world 
to  come.  WM.  LAW. 

The  doctrine  of  a  plurality 
of  wives  or  marrying  of  VIR- 
GINS. COWLES. 

It  authorized  some  to  have 
to  the  number  of  TEN.  JANE 
LAW. 

And  set  forth  that  those 
women  who  would  not  allow 
their  husbands  to  have  more 
wives  than  one  should  be  UN- 
DER CONDEMNATION.  JANE  LAW. 


It  said  this  was  the  law  and 
commanded   Joseph   TO   ENTER 

INTO    THE    LAW.       WM.    LAW. 

Against  all  sin  save  that  of 

SHEDDING  INNOCENT  BLOOD  Or  of 

consenting  thereto.    COWLES. 


112  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

David    also    received    many  That    David    and    Solomon 

wives  and  concubines,  as  also  had   many   wives,   yet    in    this 

Solomon  and  Moses  my  serv-  they  sinned  not   SAVE  IN   THE 

ants  .  .  .  and  in  none  of  these  MATTER  OF  URIAH.     COWLES. 
things  did  he  sin  against  me, 

SAVE     IN     THE     CASE     OF     URIAH 

AND  HIS  WIFE.     (Pars.  14,  15.) 

These  comparisons  will  show  the  reader  that  the 
"Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage,"  which  Cowles  and 
the  Laws  saw,  agreed  in  a  number  of  its  expressions  with 
that  which  we  have  to-day,  and  this  is  good  grounds  for 
a  strong  presumption  that  they  were  one  and  the  same. 

But  there  are  also  other  reasons  for  believing  that 
the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage,"  given  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  originated  with  Joseph  Smith.  Certain 
doctrines  appear  in  it  which  were  taught  by  the  Prophet 
during  his  lifetime,  but  which  are  now  denied  by  the 
Josephites. 

In  the  first  place,  the  doctrine  of  Adam-god-ism  is 
unmistakably  taught  in  the  "Revelation"  as  it  was  by 
Joseph  Smith.  Paragraph  14  of  the  "Revelation"  reads: 
"Abraham  received  concubines,  and  they  bare  him  chil- 
dren, and  it  was  accounted  unto  him  foi  righteousness, 
because  they  were  given  unto  him,  and  he  abode  in  my 
law,  as  Isaac  also,  and  Jacob  did  none  other  things  than 
that  which  they  were  commanded ;  and  because  they  did 
none  other  things  than  that  which  they  were  commanded, 
they  have  entered  into  their  EXALTATION,  according  to 
the  promise,  and  sit  upon  thrones,  and  are  not  angels, 
but  are  GODS."  In  the  funeral  sermon  which  Joseph 
Smith  delivered  over  the  dead  body  of  Elder  King  Fol- 
lett1  at  Nauvoo,  in  April,  1844,  he  said:  "You  have  got  to 
learn  how  to  be  GODS  yourselves ;  to  be  kings  and 

1  Josephites   now   question   the   genuineness  of  the   "King   Follett   Ser- 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  113 

priests  to  God,  the  same  as  all  GODS  have  done;  by 
going  from  a  small  degree  to  another,  from  grace  to 
grace,  from  EXALTATION  to  EXALTATION,  until  you  are 
able  to  sit  in  glory  as  doth  those  who  sit  enthroned  in 
everlasting  power." 

Again,  in  the  second  place,  the  exclusive  authority 
of  only  one  at  a  time  to  perform  or  authorize  polygamous 
marriages  was  taught  by  Smith  as  it  is  taught  in  the 
"Revelation."  The  "Revelation"  reads:  "And  I  have  ap- 
pointed unto  my  servant  Joseph  to  hold  this  power  in 
the  last  days,  and  there  is  never  but  one  on  the  earth 
at  a  time  on  whom  this  power  and  the  keys  of  this 
priesthood  are  conferred."  In  his  "Diary"  of  October  5, 
1843,  Smith  wrote:  "Gave  instructions  to  try  those  per- 
sons who  were  preaching,  teaching  or  practicing  the 
doctrine  of  plurality  of  wives ;  for  according  to  the  law, 
I  hold  the  keys  of  this  power  in  the  last  days ;  for  there 
is  never  but  one  on  earth  at  a  time  on  whom  the  power 
and  its  keys  are  conferred;  and  I  have  constantly  said 
no  man  shall  have  but  one  wife  at  a  time,  unless  the 
Lord  directs  otherwise." 

And,  again,  William  Marks  declared,  in  1853,  that 
polygamy  was  introduced  into  the  Mormon  Church,  dur- 
ing Smith's  lifetime,  as  "a  principle  of  EXALTATION." 

mon,"  but  they  have  not  always  done  so.  In  the  True  Latter-day  Saints' 
Herald  of  May  i,  1864,  I  find  the  following: 

"JOSEPH   SMITH'S  DOCTRINE. 

"Joseph  Smith,  the  martyr,  preached  a  sermon  at  Nauvoo,  111.,  during 
the  April  Conference  of  1844,  called  the  'King  Follett  Sermon,'  in  which, 
while  speaking  on  the  resurrection,  he  had  occasion  to  say  (see  Vol.  V.,  p. 
615,  Times  and  Seasons'):  'So  I  must  come  to  the  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
the  soul,  the  mind  of  man,  the  immortal  spirit,  etc.*  " 

The  writer  then  proceeds  to  quote  verbatim  a  part  of  this  sermon  as 
published  in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  as  the  very  language  of  Joseph  Smith 
himself.  If  that  sermon,  as  it  appears  in  the  True  Latter-day  Saints' 
Herald,  is  "Joseph  Smith's  Doctrine,"  the  Josephites  can  no  longer 
that  the  doctrine  of  Adam-god-ism  sprang  from  him. 


114  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

This  agrees  with  the  "Revelation,"  in  which  the  Lord 
says:  " Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  abide  in 
my  law  (of  a  plurality  of  wives),  ye  cannot  attain  to 
this  glory;  for  straight  is  the  gate  and  narrow  the  way 
that  leadeth  unto  the  EXALTATION  and  continuation  of  the 
lives." 

I  regard  these  points  of  identity,  with  the  other  evi- 
dences which  I  have  given,  as  conclusive  proof  that  the 
"Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage"  originated  with  Jo- 
seph Smith. 

THE  CHARGES  OF  THE  "EXPOSITOR"  SUSTAINED. 

The  secular  Mormon  paper  of  Nauvoo  at  the  time  of 
Smith's  assassination  was  the  Neighbor.  On  the  I7th  of 
June,  1844,  this  paper  put  out  an  "Extra"  containing  a 
summarized  report  of  the  proceedings  of  the  City  Council 
on  the  8th  and  loth  preceding,  when  the  Expositor  was 
declared  a  nuisance  and  was  ordered  removed.  This 
report,  which  was  accompanied  with  the  certificate  of 
Willard  Richards,  "Recorder  and  Clerk  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil," is  important  as  it  reveals  the  proceedings  of  one  of 
the  most  irregular  and  illegal  trials  ever  conducted,  and 
also  the  fact  that  there  was  a  "Revelation  on  Celestial 
Marriage"  at  Nauvoo  at  this  time. 

According  to  this  report,  the  charges  that  were  made 
against  the  Laws  and  their  friends  were  about  as  follows : 
Sylvester  Emmans,  editor  of  the  Expositor,  was  poor 
and  had  tried  to  get  the  post-office  away  from  Sidney 
Rigdon ;  William  Law  oppressed  the  poor,  dunned  the 
Prophet,  offered  a  reward  for  his  life  and  attempted  to 
deliver  him  to  the  Missourians ;  Wilson  Law  was  guilty 
of  seduction;  R.  D.  Foster  was  guilty  of  improper  con- 
duct with  certain  females,  of  carrying  a  pistol  and  of 
writing  Joseph  a  saucy  letter ;  and  they  all  misrepresented 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  115 

the  spiritual-wife  doctrine.  But  those  parts  of  this  re- 
port which  are  of  most  importance  to  us  here  are  the  ad- 
missions of  Hyrum  and  Joseph  Smith  relative  to  the 
existence  of  a  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage."  They 
are  as  follows: 

Councilor  H.  Smith  .  .  .  referred  to  the  revelation  read  to 
the  High  Council  of  the  Church,  which  has  caused  so  much  talk 
about  a  multiplicity  of  wives ;  that  said  revelation  was  in  answer 
to  a  question  concerning  things  which  transpired  in  former  days, 
and  had  no  reference  to  the  present  time.  .  .  . 

Councilor  C.  H.  Smith  proceeded  to  show  the  falsehood  of 
Austin  Cowles  in  the  Expositor,  in  relation  to  the  revelation  re- 
ferred to,  that  it  was  in  reference  to  former  days,  and  not 
the  present  time,  as  related  by  Cowles.  Mayor  (Joseph)  said 
he  had  never  preached  the  revelation  in  private,  as  he  had  in 
public;  had  not  taught  it  to  the  anointed  in  the  Church  in  private, 
which  statement  many  present  confirmed ;  that  on  inquiring 
concerning  the  passage  in  the  resurrection  concerning  "they 
neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage,"  etc.,  he  received  for 
answer,  "Men  in  this  life  must  marry  in  view  of  eternity,  other- 
wise they  must  remain  as  angels,  or  be  single  in  heaven,  which 
was  the  amount  of  the  revelation  referred  to ;"  and  the  Mayor 
spoke  at  considerable  length  in  explanation  of  this  principle. 

Here,  in  a  Mormon  paper,  published  ten  days  before 
the  Prophet  was  shot,  we  have  incontestable  proof,  prop- 
erly certified  to  by  the  "Recorder  and  Clerk  of  the  City 
Council,"  that  there  was  a  "Revelation  on  Plural  (or 
Celestial)  Marriage"  at  Nauvoo  at  this  time,  though 
both  Joseph  and  Hyrum  try  to  tone  down  its  repugnant 
features,  one  claiming  that  it  referred  to  the  world  to 
come,  the  other  that  it  referred  to  ancient  times. 

At  the  time  in  which  the  events  described  in  this 
chapter  occurred  at  Nauvoo,  Thomas  Ford  was  Governor 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  As  that  State  was  threatened 
with  a  civil  war,  he  went  in  person  to  Hancock  County 
to  investigate  the  causes  of,  and  settle,  if  possible,  the 


116  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

trouble,  and  his  testimony  is,  therefore,  of  the  utmost 
interest  and  importance.  Although  he  evidently  tried  to 
act  in  all  fairness,  each  side  accused  him  of  being  partial 
to  the  other,  and  he  goes  down  in  history  charged  by 
one  with  having  attempted  "to  make  a  case  against  the 
old  citizens,"  the  Gentiles,  and  by  the  other  with  having 
"in  a  weak  and  vaccillating  way  sacrificed  his  own  honor 
and  betrayed  the  faith  of  the  people  he  represented." 
The  conditions,  as  he  found  them,  are  described  in  his 
"History  of  Illinois,"  from  which  I  take  the  following 
extract,  emphasizing  those  parts  which  are  of  most  in- 
terest in  the  present  consideration.  The  reader  will  read- 
ily observe  that  William  Law  had  just  cause  for  denounc- 
ing the  Prophet. 

Soon  after  these  institutions  were  established,  Joe  Smith 
began  to  play  the  tyrant  over  several  of  his  followers.  The 
first  act  of  this  sort  which  excited  attention,  was  an  attempt  to 
take  the  wife  of  William  Law,  one  of  his  most  talented  and 
principal  disciples,  and  make  her  a  spiritual  wife.  By  means  of 
his  Common  Council,  without  the  authority  of  law,  he  established 
a  recorder's  office  in  Nauvoo,  in  which  alone  the  titles  of  prop- 
erty could  be  recorded.  In  the  same  manner  and  with  the 
same  want  of  legal  authority,  he  established  an  office  for  issuing 
marriage  licenses  to  Mormons,  so  as  to  give  him  absolute 
control  of  the  marrying  propensities  of  his  people.  He  pro- 
claimed that  none  in  the  city  should  purchase  real  estate  to  sell 
again,  but  himself.  He  also  permitted  no  one  but  himself  to  have 
a  license  in  the  city  for  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors;  and  in 
many  other  ways  he  undertook  to  regulate  and  control  the 
business  of  the  Mormons.  This  despotism,  administered  by  a 
corrupt  and  unprincipled  man,  soon  became  intolerable.  William 
Law,  one  of  the  most  eloquent  preachers  of  the  Mormons,  who 
appeared  to  me  to  be  a  deluded  but  conscientious  and  candid 
man,  Wilson  Law,  his  brother,  Major-General  of  the  Legion, 
and  four  or  five  other  Mormon  leaders,  resolved  upon  a  rebellion 
against  the  authority  of  the  Prophet.  They  designed  to  enlighten 
their  brethren  and  fellow-citizens  upon  the  new  institutions,  the 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  117 

new  turn  given  to  Mormonism,  and  the  practices  under  the  new 
system,  by  procuring  a  printing-press  and  establishing  a  news- 
paper in  the  city,  to  be  the  organ  of  their  complaints  and  views. 
But  they  never  issued  but  one  number;  before  the  second  could 
appear,  the  press  was  demolished  by  an  order  of  the  Common 
Council,  and  the  conspirators  were  ejected  from  the  Mormon 
Church. 

The  Mormons  themselves  published  the  proceedings  of  the 
Council  in  the  trial  and  destruction  of  the  heretical  press;  from 
which  it  does  not  appear  that  any  one  was  tried,  or  that  the 
editor  or  any  of  the  owners  of  the  property  had  notice  of  the 
trial,  or  were  permitted  to  defend  in  any  particular. 

The  proceeding  was  an  ex  parte  proceeding,  partly  civil 
and  partly  ecclesiastical,  against  the  press  itself.  No  jury  was 
called  or  sworn,  nor  were  the  witnesses  required  to  give  their 
evidence  upon  oath.  The  councilors  stood  up  one  after  another, 
and  some  of  them  several  times,  and  related  what  they  pre- 
tended to  know.  In  this  mode  it  was  abundantly  proved  that 
the  owners  of  the  proscribed  press  were  sinners,  whoremasters, 
thieves,  swindlers,  counterfeiters  and  robbers;  the  evidence  of 
which  is  reported  in  the  trial  at  full  length.  It  was  altogether 
the  most  curious  and  irregular  trial  that  ever  was  recorded  in 
any  civilised  country;  and  one  finds  difficulty  in  determining 
whether  the  proceedings  of  the  Council  were  more  the  result 
of  insanity  or  depravity.  The  trial  resulted  in  the  conviction  of 
the  press  as  a  public  nuisance.  The  Mayor  was  ordered  to  see  it 
abated  as  such,  and,  if  necessary,  to  call  the  Legion  to  his 
assistance.  The  Mayor  issued  his  warrant  to  the  City  Marshal, 
who,  aided  by  a  portion  of  the  Legion,  proceeded  to  the  obnoxious 
printing-office,  and  destroyed  the  press  and  scattered  the  types 
and  other  materials. 

After  this,  it  became  too  hot  for  the  seceding  and  rejected 
Mormons  to  remain  in  the  holy  city.  They  retired  to  Carthage, 
the  county  seat  of  Hancock  county,  and  took  out  warrants  for 
the  Mayor  and  members  of  the  Common  Council,  and  others 
engaged  in  the  outrage,  for  a  riot.  Some  of  those  were  arrested, 
but  were  immediately  taken  before  the  Municipal  Court  of  the 
city  on  habeas  corpus,  and  discharged  from  custody. 

On  the  seventeenth  day  of  June  following,  a  committee  of  a 
meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Carthage  presented  themselves  to  me 


118  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

with  a  request  that  the  militia  might  be  ordered  out  to  assist  in 
executing  process  in  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  I  determined  to  visit 
in  person  that  section  of  country,  and  examine  for  myself  the 
truth  and  nature  of  their  complaints.  No  order  for  the  militia 
was  made;  and  I  arrived  at  Carthage  on  the  morning  of  the 
2ist  day  of  the  same  month. 

Upon  my  arrival,  I  found  an  armed  force  assembled  and 
hourly  increasing  under  the  summons  and  direction  of  the 
constables  of  the  county,  to  serve  as  a  posse  comitatus  to  assist 
in  the  execution  of  process.  The  general  of  the  brigade 
had  also  called  for  the  militia,  en  masse,  of  the  counties  of  Mc- 
Donough  and  Schuyler,  for  a  similar  purpose.  Another  assem- 
blage to  a  considerable  number  had  been  made  at  Warsaw,  under 
military  command  of  Col.  Levi  Williams. 

The  first  thing  that  I  did  on  my  arrival  was  to  place  all  the 
militia  then  assembled,  and  which  were  expected  to  assemble, 
under  military  command  of  their  proper  officers.  I  next  dis- 
patched a  messenger  to  Nauvoo,  informing  the  Mayor  and  Com- 
mon Council  of  the  nature  of  the  complaint  made  against  them; 
and  requested  that  persons  might  be  sent  to  me  to  lay  their  side 
of  the  question  before  me.  A  Committee  was  accordingly  sent, 
who  made  such  acknowledgments  that  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
concluding  what  were  the  facts. 

It  appeared  clearly,  both  from  the  complaints  of  the  citizens 
and  the  acknowledgments  of  the  Mormon  Committee,  that  the 
whole  proceedings  of  the  Mayor,  the  Common  Council,  and  the 
Municipal  Court,  were  irregular  and  illegal,  and  not  to  be 
endured  in  a  free  country;  though,  perhaps,  some  apology  might 
be  made  for  the  Court,  as  it  had  been  repeatedly  assured  by  some 
of  the  best  lawyers  in  the  State,  who  had  been  candidates  for 
office  before  that  people,  that  it  had  full  and  competent  power  to 
issue  writs  of  habeas  corpus  in  all  cases  whatever.  The  Common 
Council  violated  the  law  in  assuming  the  exercise  of  judicial 
power ;  in  proceeding  ex  parte  without  notice  to  the  owners  of 
the  property;  in  proceeding  against  the  property  in  rem;  in  not 
calling  a  jury;  in  not  swearing  all  the  witnesses;  in  not  giving 
the  owners  of  the  property,  accused  of  being  a  nuisance,  in 
consequence  of  being  libelous,  an  opportunity  of  giving  the  truth 
in  evidence;  and  in  fact,  by  not  proceeding  by  civil  suit  or 
indictment,  as  in  other  cases  of  libel.  The  Mayor  violated  the 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  11$ 

law  in  ordering  this  erroneous  and  absurd  judgment  of  the 
Common  Council  to  be  executed.  And  the  Municipal  Court  erred 
in  discharging  them  from  arrest. 

As  this  proceeding  touched  the  liberty  of  the  press,  which 
is  justly  dear  to  any  republican  people,  it  was  well  calculated 
to  raise  a  great  flame  of  excitement.  And  it  may  well  be  ques- 
tioned whether  years  of  misrepresentation  by  the  most  profligate 
newspaper  could  have  engendered  such  a  feeling  as  was  produced 
by  the  destruction  of  this  one  press.  It  is  apparent  that  the 
Mormon  leaders  but  little  understood,  and  regarded  less  the 
true  principles  of  civil  liberty.  A  free  press,  well  conducted,  is  a 
great  blessing  to  a  free  people;  a  profligate  one  is  likely  soon  to 
deprive  itself  of  all  credit  and  influence  by  the  multitude  of 
falsehoods  put  forth  by  it.  In  addition  to  these  causes  of  ex- 
citement, there  were  a  great  many  reports  in  circulation,  and 
generally  believed  by  the  people. 

Fortunately  for  the  purposes  of  those  who  were  active  in 
creating  excitement,  there  were  many  known  truths  which  gave 
countenance  to  some  of  these  accusations.  It  was  sufficiently 
proved  in  a  proceeding  at  Carthage  whilst  I  was  there,  that 
Joe  Smith  had  sent  a  band  of  his  followers  to  Missouri,  to  kidnap 
two  men  who  were  witnesses  against  a  member  of  his  Church 
then  in  jail,  about  to  be  tried  on  a  charge  of  larceny.  It  was  also 
a  notorious  fact,  that  he  had  assaulted  and  severely  beaten  an 
officer  of  the  county,  for  an  alleged  non-performance  of  his  duty, 
at  a  time  when  that  officer  was  just  recovering  from  a  severe 
illness.  It  is  a  fact  also,  that  he  stood  indicted  for  the  crime 
of  perjury,  as  was  alleged,  in  swearing  to  an  accusation  for 
murder,  in  order  to  drive  a  man  out  of  Nauvoo,  who  had  been 
engaged  in  buying  and  selling  lots  and  land ;  and  thus  interfering 
with  the  monopoly  of  the  Prophet  as  a  speculator.  It  is  a  fact 
also,  that  his  Municipal  Court,  of  which  he  was  Chief  Justice, 
by  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  had  frequently  discharged  individuals 
accused  of  high  crimes  and  offenses  against  the  laws  of  the 
State;  and  on  one  occasion  had  discharged  a  person  accused  of 
swindling  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  who  had  been 
arrested  by  process  of  the  Federal  Courts;  thereby  giving 
countenance  to  the  report,  that  he  obstructed  the  administration 
of  justice,  and  had  set  up  a  government  at  Nauvoo,  independent 
of  the  laws  and  Government  of  the  State.  This  idea  was  further 


120  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

corroborated  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  by  the  fact  that  the 
people  of  Nauvoo  had  petitioned  Congress  for  a  Territorial 
Government,  to  be  established  there  and  to  be  independent  of  the 
State  Government.  It  was  a  fact  also,  that  some  larcenies  and 
robberies  had  been  committed,  and  that  Mormons  had  been  con- 
victed of  the  crimes,  and  that  other  larcenies  had  been  committed 
by  persons  unknown,  but  suspected  to  be  Mormons.  Justice, 
however,  requires  me  here  to  say,  that  upon  such  investigation 
as  I  then  could  make,  the  charge  of  promiscuous  stealing  ap- 
peared to  be  exaggerated. 

The  foregoing  disclosures  prove  that  Joseph  Smith 
was  not  only  guilty  of  immorality,  but  that  he  was  also 
guilty  of  a  number  of  other  crimes,  both  against  the 
State  and  the  Nation,  and  yet  we  are  told  that  he  was 
"as  great  a  lover  of  his  country  as  could  be  found  among 
men"  and  that  "he  often  wept  that  mobs  should  arise 
under  the  glorious  institutions  of  the  United  States"! 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  121 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Direct  Evidence  Connecting  Joseph  Smith  with  Polygamy — State- 
ments and  Affidavits — Certain  Objections  to  These  State- 
ments and  Affidavits  Considered. 

The  truth  of  the  charge  that  Joseph  Smith  was  con- 
nected with  polygamy  is  attested  by  Sidney  Rigdon 
and  William  Law,  members  with  him  in  the  First  Pres- 
idency of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints;  by  every  member  of  the  Quorum  of  Twelve 
Apostles,  excepting  William  Smith,1  and  his  denial  was, 
evidently,  made  in  the  interests  of  his  nephew,  the  present 
head  of  the  Josephite  Church,  as  he  introduced  the 
practice  in  his  own  faction  in  1851;  by  the  President 
of  the  High  Council,  William  Marks,  and  his  two  Coun- 
selors, Cowles  and  Rich ;  by  over  one  hundred  men  and 
women  to  whom  Smith  taught,  or  with  whom  he  prac- 
ticed, the  doctrine,  and  by  the  admissions  of  some  of 
the  leading  Josephites  themselves. 

It  is  sometimes  asked:  "If  Joseph  Smith  was  a 
polygamist,  where  are  the  offspring  of  his  polygamous 
marriages  ?" 


1  In  an  interview  with  Apostle  Blair,  Josephite,  he  was  asked  the 
following  question:  "Did  Joseph  the  Seer  teach  that  polygamy  was 
essential  to  salvation  and  a  fullness  of  glory?"  To  which  he  replied:  "My 
answer  is,  Joseph  taught  no  polygamy — not  to  ray  knowledge."  But  this 
is  too  thin.  William  claimed  to  be  a  stickler  for  the  doctrines  taught  by 
Joseph,  and  yet  he  was  the  first  to  preach  polygamy  from  the  stand  after 
his  death;  was  excommunicated  from  the  Strangite  faction  for  adultery, 
and,  in  1851,  introduced  polygamy  into  his  own  faction,  according  to  the 
ex-Josephite  Jason  W.  Briggs,  "in  the  name  of  God  and  his  brother  Joseph." 
His  system  must  have  been  even  more  corrupt  than  that  of  Young,  for  the 
first  document  put  out  by  the  Josephite  Church  ("A  Word  of  Consola- 
tion," p.  21 )  speaks  of  it  as  "the  fouler  system  (of  whoredom)  taught  by 
William  Smith." 

(9) 


122  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Joseph  Smith  was  a  strong,  well  proportioned,  plethoric  man, 
weighing  two  hundred  and  ten  pounds  and  standing  six  feet 
high  in  his  stocking  feet.  He  was  the  father  of  eight  children  by 
his  wife,  Emma,  whom  he  married  in  1827,  but  where  is  his  issue 
or  the  children  born  to  him  by  any  other  woman?  Echo  an- 
swers, Where?  It  is,  therefore,  unreasonable  to  say  he  was 
married  to  or  had  marital  relations  with  ten  or  a  dozen  other 
women,  or  perhaps  more,  and  had  no  children  by  any  of  them. — 
Joseph  Smith:  Who  Was  He?,  p.  27. 

In  answer  to  the  question  propounded  in  the  fore- 
going, Mrs.  Pratt  says: 

You  hear  often  that  Joseph  had  no  polygamous  offspring. 
The  reason  of  this  is  very  simple.  Abortion  was  practiced  on  a 
large  scale  in  Nauvoo.  Dr.  John  C.  Bennett,  the  evil  genius  of 
Joseph,  brought  this  abomination  into  a  scientific  system.  He 
showed  to  my  husband  and  me  the  instruments  with  which  he 
used  to  "operate  for  Joseph."  There  was  a  house  in  Nauvoo, 
"right  across  the  flat,"  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town, 
a  kind  of  hospital.  They  sent  the  women  there,  when  they 
showed  signs  of  celestial  consequences.  Abortion  was  practiced 
regularly  in  this  house. — Mormon  Portraits,  p.  59. 

Of  the  women  who  have  declared  that  they  were 
polygamous  wives  of  the  Prophet,  or  who  have  been 
declared  by  others  to  have  been  such,  may  be  mentioned 
the  following :  Louisa  Beaman,  married  to  Smith  April  5, 
1841 ;  Zina  D.  Huntington,  October  27,  1841 ;  Eliza  R. 
Snow,  June  29,  1842;  Sarah  A.  Whitney,  July  27,  1842; 
Martha  McBride,  summer,  1842;  Almira  W.  Johnson, 
spring,  1843;  Lucy  Walker,  May  I,  1843;  Emily  D.  P. 
Young,  May  n,  1843;  Rhoda  Richards,  June  12,  1843; 
Melissa  Lott,  September  20,  1843 ;  and  Maria  and  Sarah 
Lawrence,  Desdemona  C.  Fullmer,  Helen  Kimball  and 
Flora  Woodworth,  the  dates  of  whose  marriages  I  am 
unable  to  give. 

It  is  my  purpose  in  this  chapter  to  give  a  number 
of  statements  and  affidavits  which  Implicate  Joseph  Smith 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  123 

both  in  teaching  and  practicing  polygamy.  Some  of 
these  were  made  by  women  who  were  his  plural  wives ; 
others  by  men  who  were  married  by  him  to  plural  wives ; 
still  others  by  women  who  were  married  by  him  as  plural 
wives  to  other  men ;  and  still  others  by  those  to  whom  he 
taught  the  doctrine  or  who  knew  of  his  connection 
with  it. 

THE  STATEMENT  OF  SIDNEY  RIGDON. 

Sidney  Rigdon  was  born  in  Allegheny  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  the  iQth  of  February,  1793,  and  spent  his 
early  life  in  the  vicinity  of  Pittsburgh.  In  March,  1819, 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  and  became  a  Baptist  min- 
ister. He  united  with  the  movement  under  the  Camp- 
bells in  August,  1824,  and  openly  became  a  Mormon  in 
the  fall  of  1830,  though  there  is  no  question  that  he 
was  secretly  connected  with  Joseph  Smith  before  that 
time  in  foisting  the  Mormon  fraud  upon  the  public.  He 
became  a  member  of  the  First  Presidency  on  the  i8th 
of  March,  1833,  which  position  he  held  up  to  the  time 
of  Smith's  assassination.  In  the  winter  of  1838,  he  re- 
moved from  Kirtland,  where  he  had  previously  made  his 
home,  to  Far  West,  Missouri,  where  he  lived  until  the 
spring  of  1839,  when  he  removed  to  Illinois.  During 
the  stormy  scenes  at  Nauvoo,  he  and  the  Prophet  fell 
out,  presumably  over  the  latter's  advances  to  his  daugh- 
ter Nancy,  but  the  difficulty  was  patched  up  and  Rigdon 
was  sent  East,  shortly  before  Smith's  death,  to  take 
charge  of  the  church  in  Pittsburgh.  When  the  Prophet 
was  killed,  he  returned  to  Nauvoo  and  presented  his 
claim  to  the  leadership  of  the  Mormon  people,  but  was 
rejected  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote  on  August  8,  1844, 
and  was  expelled  one  month  later.  He  then  returned  to 
Pittsburgh  a  disappointed  man  and  set  up  a  church  of  his 


124  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

own.     He  died  at  Friendship,  New  York,  in  the  year 
1876. 

Probably  no  individual  was  more  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  private  life  of  the  Prophet  than  was  he.  In  a 
lengthy  letter  to  his  official  paper,  the  Messenger  and 
Advocate,  in  1845,  he  says  of  the  plural-wife  doctrine: 

This  system  was  introduced  by  the  Smiths  some  time  before 
their  death,  and  was  the  thing  which  put  them  in  the  power 
of  their  enemies,  and  was  the  immediate  cause  of  their  death. — 
Vol.  II.,  p.  475- 

Prior  to  this,  in  the  same  paper  (Vol.  I.,  p.  176),  he 
gave  as  one  of  the  reasons  for  separating  from  the  church 
that  they  had  abrogated  "the  marriage  contract"  and  had 
substituted,  "under  the  professed  sanction  of  Heaven,  a 
system  of  extreme  licentiousness,"  evidently  referring  to 
the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage." 

He  declared  that  in  order  to  conceal  this  doctrine  and 
practice  from  the  Gentiles,  it  was  taught  "that  it  is  some- 
times lawful  to  lie." 

Whereas,  the  better  to  conceal  the  justly  odious  system 
of  polygamy,  duplicity,  hypocrisy,  and  falsehood  are  inculcated 
as  virtues,  the  most  sacred  obligations  constantly  violated,  and 
families  and  individuals  plunged  into  irrevocable  ruin  and  de- 
spair. 

As  Rigdon  left  Nauvoo  within  the  three  months  fol- 
lowing the  death  of  Smith,  it  can  not  be  successfully  main- 
tained that  these  abuses  arose  wholly  after  that  event, 
and  that  the  Twelve,  alone,  were  responsible  for  them. 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  WILLIAM  LAW. 

William  Law,  the  Second  Counselor  of  Joseph  Smith, 
was  a  Canadian  by  birth,  and  was  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  intelligence  and  of  considerable  wealth.  He 
united  with  the  Mormons  under  the  preaching  of  Elders 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  125 

John  Taylor  and  Almcn  W.  Babbitt,  and  soon  after  re- 
moved to  Nauvoo.  On  January  24,  1841,  he  was  called 
to  fill  the  office  mentioned,  which  had  been  made  vacant 
by  the  appointment  of  Hyrum  Smith  to  the  Patriarchate. 
Law  continued  as  Smith's  Second  Counselor  until  after 
the  latter  had  brought  out  his  "Revelation  on  Celestial 
Marriage,"  when  he  apostatized  and  led  a  party  of  dis- 
senters in  opposing  Smith  and  his  practices.  After  the 
death  of  the  Prophet,  he  removed  to  Rock  Island,  Illinois, 
but  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  he  made  his  home 
at  Shullsburg,  La  Fayette  County,  Wisconsin. 

In  July,  1885,  he  made  an  affidavit  in  which  he  de- 
clared that  polygamy,  and  other  corrupt  practices,  existed 
in  the  Mormon  Church  at  Nauvoo  during  the  Prophet's 
lifetime,  and  with  his  knowledge  and  sanction.  This 
affidavit  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Zenas  H.  Gurley,1 
of  Canton,  Missouri,  son  of  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Reorganized  Church,  and  himself  an  Apostle  in  that 
church  at  the  time  of  his  apostasy  in  1886.  Mr.  Gurley 
informs  me  that  Law  "during  his  life  objected  to  publi- 
cation in  newspapers,  but  directed  to  publish  in  book," 
and  that  this  is  the  reason  why  it  has  never  been  given 
to  the  public  before.  The  following  is  an  exact  copy, 
carefully  prepare!  by  myself  with  the  full  consent  of  the 
owner  of  the  original,  and  properly  attested  to  put  it 
above  reasonable  question  or  doubt.  This  document, 
coming  as  it  does  from  one  of  the  original  leaders  of  the 
Mormon  Church,  is  one  of  the  most  damning  pieces  of 
evidence  that  has  ever  been  put  before  the  public  on  the 
character  of  Joseph  Smith  and  his  confederates. 
TO  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN. 

I,  the  undersigned,  being  aware  that  many  contradictory  re- 
ports are  in  circulation  as  to  the  origin  of   Polygamy  in  the 

1  Since  deceased. 


126  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Mormon  Church,  make  the  following  statements  concerning  po- 
lygamy and  some  other  matters.  In  1843  Hyrum  Smith  handed 
to  me  a  writing  to  read,  and  to  be  returned  to  him.  I  took 
it  home  and  upon  reading  found  that  it  purported  to  be  a 
revelation  to  Joseph  Smith,  authorizing  polygamy  in  the  Church. 
After  reading  it  I  went  directly  to  Joseph  Smith  and  showed 
him  the  document.  He  looked  at  it,  and  said  it  was  all  right. 
Said  it  was  a  great  privilege  granted  to  the  High  Priesthood. 
He  spoke  strongly  in  its  favor.  I  remarked  that  it  was  in  con- 
tradiction to  the  "Doctrine  and  Covenants."  He  said  they  were 
given  when  the  Church  was  in  its  infancy,  when  they  were 
babes,  and  had  to  be  fed  on  milk,  but  now  they  were  strong 
and  must  have  meat.  He  seemed  much  disappointed  in  my 
not  receiving  the  revelation.  He  was  very  anxious  that  I  would 
accept  the  doctrine  and  sustain  him  in  it.  He  used  many  argu- 
ments at  various  times  afterwards  in  its  favor.  I  suppose  he 
dreaded  my  official  influence  in  opposing  and  utterly  rejecting 
the  so-called  revelation  as  I  was  at  that  time  a  member  of  the 
First  Presidency.  Joseph  told  me  that  he  had  several  wives 
sealed  to  him,  and  that  they  afforded  him  a  great  deal  of  pleas- 
ure. He  kept  some  of  them  in  his  own  house.  He  said  his  wife 
Emma  had  annoyed  him  very  much  about  it,  but  he  thought  the 
revelation  would  cause  her  to  submit  peaceably,  as  it  threatened 
her  removal  if  she  did  not.  Mrs.  Smith  complained  to  me  about 
Joseph  keeping  his  young  wives  in  her  house  and  elsewhere, 
and  his  neglect  of  her.  She  spoke  freely  about  the  revelation 
and  its  threat  against  her  life,  etc.  She  seemed  to  have  no  faith 
in  it  whatever.  From  what  she  said  to  me  and  from  what 
I  learned  from  other  sources  I  have  good  reason  to  believe 
that  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  and  others  in  the  Church  had  been 
practicing  polygamy  for  a  long  time  before  the  revelation  came 
forth,  although  it  was  vehemently  denied  from  the  public  stand, 
and  those  who  spoke  of  its  existence  were  denounced  as  slan- 
derers of  the  Church.  But  after  the  revelation  came  out,  polyga- 
my was  rampant  and  the  man  who  dared  to  speak  against  it 
was  considered  an  apostate.  Joseph  Smith  required  every  man 
and  woman  to  believe  in  him,  believe  in  all  his  revelations, 
believe  in  all  his  teachings,  and  uphold  and  sustain  him  in  every 
thing  right  or  wrong,  without  any  regard  for  the  teachings  of 
Christ  and  His  Apostles,  as  recorded  in  the  Scriptures.  Smith 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  127 

was  opposed  to  the  use  of  the  Scriptures  for  I  heard  him 
say  that  "the  time  would  come  when  it  would  be  a  curse  to  any 
family  to  have  a  Bible  in  their  house."  The  teaching  of  Christ 
was  in  direct  opposition  to  the  teachings  of  the  Smiths,  they 
taught  polygamy,  spoiling  (robbing)  the  Gentiles,  murder,  swin- 
dling, lying  and  many  other  evils.  I  do  not  say  that  Joseph 
Smith  murdered  any  one  with  his  own  hand,  but  I  say  this, 
that  Joseph  told  me  that  he  sent  a  man  to  kill  Governor  Boggs 
of  Missouri.  The  fellow  shot  the  Governor  in  his  own  house, 
shot  him  through  a  window,  wounding  him  severely,  but  failed 
to  kill  him.  In  looking  over  the  whole  field  at  that  time,  the 
past  and  the  then  present  of  the  Church,  I  could  see  no  God 
in  it,  but  a  great  deal  of  Satan.  Consequently  /  withdrew  from  it 
forever.  And  now  after  more  than  forty  years,  I  am  thoroughly 
convinced  that  I  was  right,  that  it  never  was  a  Church  of 
Christ,  but  a  most  wicked  blasphemous  humbug,  gotten  up  for  the 
purpose  of  making  money.  Had  it  been  the  Church  of  Christ, 
its  ministers  would  have  taught  the  Doctrine  of  Christ,  would 
have  taught  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  which  is  the  Gospel  of  Salva- 
tion, to  them  that  believe.  If  the  Gospel  was  Salvation  to 
believers  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  it  is  Salvation  to  believers 
now,  and  always  will  be.  And  if  so,  what  more  do  we  want. 
Paul  said,  "Though  we  or  an  angel  from  heaven  preach  any 
other  gospel,  let  him  be  accursed."  The  Mormon  Church  has 
been  running  for  more  than  fifty  years  and  what  has  it  done 
for  the  Cause  of  Christianity  or  Morality?  Nothing  that  I  know 
of  but  a  great  deal  against  both.  It  must  be  a  bad  tree  to  bear 
such  evil  fruit,  evil  all  the  way  from  the  Kirtland  Bank  Swindle 
down  to  the  present  time,  and  yet  I  have  no  doubt  thousands  of 
honest  virtuous  people  joined  the  Church  not  knowing  (at  the 
time)  anything  of  the  wicked  workings  of  the  leaders,  and 
thousands  (probably  in  ignorance)  still  cling  to  the  delusion. 
After  I  withdrew  from  the  Mormons,  I  held  several  public 
meetings  in  the  City,  told  the  people  many  things  that  I  thought 
they  ought  to  know.  I  warned  them  of  the  ruin  they  would 
bring  upon  themselves  by  obeying  the  unchristian  teachings  of 
the  Smiths  and  others.  I  called  on  the  Smithites  to  come  forward 
and  defend  their  cause,  and  have  an  open  discussion  of  the 
questions  at  issue  between  us.  But  there  was  not  a  man  to  open 
his  mouth  in  their  defense.  The  fact  was  they  had  no  ground 


128  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

to  stand  on.  I  next  went  to  my  friends  and  talked  over  the 
propriety  of  purchasing  a  Printing  Press  and  publishing  a 
Paper  to  be  called  the  Nauvoo  Expositor.  We  concluded  to  do 
so.  We  bought  a  Press,  paper  and  issued  No.  I  of  the  Expositor. 
No.  2  we  had  printed  on  one  side  when  the  City  Council  and 
Joseph  Smith,  Mayor,  ordered  the  destruction  of  the  Press, 
which  was  done  immediately  by  the  breaking  the  press  into 
pieces  with  sledges,'  throwing  the  type  into  the  street  and 
burning  up  the  furniture,  printing  paper,  etc. 

This  unlawful  destruction  of  private  property  and  infringe- 
ment on  the  Sacred  Freedom  of  the  Press  sealed  their  doom. 
It  was  more  than  the  people  would  bear.  What  followed  is  al- 
ready well  known  to  the  Public. 

After  the  Press  was  destroyed,  my  friends  came  to  me  and 
urged  me  to  leave  Nauvoo  immediately  for  my  personal  safety. 
So  on  the  second  day  after  the  destruction  of  the  Press  I  with 
my  family  and  some  friends,  left  for  Burlington,  Iowa.  This 
was  in  June,  1844. 

More  than  forty  years  have  pass'd  since  the  foregoing 
events  transpired,  therefore  I  may  not  have  been  able  to  give 
the  precise  words  used  in  the  conversations  referred  to,  but 
the  substance  of  what  I  have  stated  is  positively  true.  I  speak 
from  actual  knowledge. 

I  hope  my  testimony  may  be  of  use  to  those  who  are  seeking 
after  the  truth,  for  truth's  sake.  It  is  much  safer  to  trust  in 
God,  than  in  man.  The  wisdom  of  man  may  perish  but  the 
wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  endureth  forever. 

July  I7th,   1885.  WM.  LAW. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  I7th  day  of  July, 
A.  D.  1885.  C  T.  DOUGLAS, 

(Seal)  Notary  Public. 

This  is  to  certify  that  Charles  A.  Shook,  being  duly  sworn 
according  to  law,  deposeth  and  saith  that  the  foregoing  is  a 
verbatim  copy  of  an  affidavit  bearing  the  signature  of  a  certain 
William  Law  and  also  the  official  seal  of  Charles  T.  Douglas, 
Notary  Public,  LaFayette  Co.,  Wis.,  which  affidavit  is  now 
the  property  of  Mr.  Zenas  H.  Gurley,  of  Canton,  Missouri, 
and  which  was  loaned  to  the  deponent  by  the  said  Zenas 
H.  Gurley  that  he  might  make  the  foregoing  copy. 

CHARLES  A.  SHOOK. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  129 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  at  Palmer,  Illinois,  this 
27th  day  of  December,  1909.  R.  E.  BEST, 

(Seal)  Notary  Public. 

This  is  to  certify  that  A.  L.  Shrout,  being  duly  sworn 
according  to  law,  deposeth  and  saith  that  he  has  compared 
the  foregoing  copy  with  an  affidavit  bearing  the  signature  of  a 
certain  William  Law  and  also  the  official  seal  of  Charles  T. 
Douglas,  Notary  Public,  LaFayette  Co.,  Wisconsin,  and  that  he 
has  found  said  copy  to  be  a  correct  transcription  of  the  original. 

A.  L.  SHROUT. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  at  Palmer,  Illinois,  this 
37th  day  of  December,  1909.  R.  E.  BEST, 

'Seal)  Notary  Public. 

THE    STATEMENT    OF    SARAH    M.    PRATT. 


Pratt  was  the  wife  of  Orson  Pratt  and  shared 
with  him  the  privations  and  hardships  incident  to  his 
office  of  Apostle  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  until  he  became  a  polygamist,  when  she 
renounced  both  him  and  the  church.  She  resided  in  Salt 
Lake  City  from  the  year  1847  up  to  the  close  of  her 
life,  and  died  respected  for  her  virtues.  The  following* 
statement  will  show  the  esteem  in  which  she  was  held: 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  May,  1886. 

We,  the  undersigned,  cordially  bear  witness  to  the  excellent 
reputation  of  Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Pratt.  We  feel  well  assured 
that  Mrs.  Pratt  is  a  lady  whose  statements  are  absolutely  to  be 
depended  upon.  Entire  frankness  and  a  high  sense  of  honor 
and  truth  are  regarded  in  this  community,  where  she  has  dwelt 
since  1847,  as  her  ruling  characteristics. 

CHARLES  S.  ZANE, 
Chief  Justice  Utah  Territory. 

ARTHUR  L.  THOMAS, 
Secretary  Utah  Territory. 

REV.  J.  W.  JACKSON, 
U.  S.  A.  Chaplain,  Fort  Douglas. 

Mrs.  Pratt  had  exceptional  opportunities,  while  liv- 
ing at  Nauvoo,  to  see  what  was  going  on  behind  the 


130  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

scenes,  and  once,  when  her  nusoand  was  upon  a  mission 
in  England,  Joseph  Smith  made  an  immoral  proposal 
to  her.  The  following  statement  was  made  to  Dr.  W. 
Wyl,  a  German  author,  who  at  that  time  was  collecting- 
material  for  a  work  on  Mormonism,  on  May  21,  1886: 

I  have  told  you  that  the  prophet  Joseph  used  to  frequent 
houses  of  ill-fame.  Mrs.  White,  a  very  pretty  and  attractive 
woman,  once  confessed  to  me  that  she  made  a  business  of  it 
to  be  hospitable  to  the  captains  of  the  Mississippi  steamboats. 
She  told  me  that  Joseph  had  made  her  acquaintance  very  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  Nauvoo,  and  that  he  had  visited  her  dozens 
of  times.  My  husband  (Orson  Pratt)  could  not  be  induced  to 
believe  such  things  of  his  prophet.  Seeing  his  obstinate  incredu- 
lity, Mrs.  White  proposed  to  Mr.  Pratt  and  myself  to  put  us 
in  a  position  where  we  could  observe  what  was  going  on  between 
herself  and  Joseph  the  prophet.  We,  however,  declined  this 
proposition.  You  have  made  a  mistake  in  the  table  of  contents 
of  your  book  in  calling  this  woman  "Mrs.  Harris."  Mrs.  Harris 
was  a  married  lady,  a  very  great  friend  of  mine.  When  Joseph 
had  made  his  dastardly  attempt  on  me,  I  went  to  Mrs.  Harris 
to  unbosom  my  grief  to  her.  To  my  utter  astonishment,  she 
said,  laughing  heartily:  "How  foolish  you  are!  I  don't  see 
anything  so  horrible  in  it.  Why,  I  am  his  mistress  since  four 
years !" 

Next  door  to  my  house  was  a  house  of  bad  reputation. 
One  single  woman  lived  there,  not  very  attractive.  She  used  to 
be  visited  by  people  from  Carthage  whenever  they  came  to 
Nauvoo.  Joseph  used  to  come  on  horseback,  ride  up  to  the 
house  and  tie  his  horse  to  a  tree,  many  of  which  stood  before 
the  house.  Then  he  would  enter  the  house  of  the  woman  from 
the  back.  I  have  seen  him  do  this  repeatedly. 

Joseph  Smith,  the  son  of  the  prophet,  and  president  of  the 
reorganized  Mormon  church,  paid  me  a  visit,  and  I  had  a 
long  talk  with  him.  I  saw  that  he  was  not  inclined  to  believe 
the  truth  about  his  father,  so  I  said  to  him:  "You  pretend  to 
have  revelations  from  the  Lord.  Why  don't  you  ask  the  Lord 
to  tell  you  what  kind  of  a  man  your  father  really  was?"  He 
answered :  "If  my  father  had  so  many  connections  with  women, 
where  is  the  progeny?"  I  said  to  him:  "Your  father  had  mostly 


ORSON    PRATT. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  131 

intercourse  with  married  women,  and  as  to  single  ones,  Dr. 
Bennett  was  always  on  hand,  when  anything  happened." 

It  was  in  this  way  that  I  became  acquainted  with  Dr.  John 
C.  Bennett.  When  my  husband  went  to  England  as  a  mis- 
sionary, he  got  the  promise  from  Joseph  that  I  should  receive 
provisions  from  the  tithing-house.  Shortly  afterward  Joseph 
made  his  propositions  to  me  and  they  enraged  me  so  that  I 
refused  to  accept  any  help  from  the  tithing-house  or  from  the 
bishop.  Having  been  always  very  clever  and  very  busy  with 
my  needle,  I  began  to  take  in  sewing  for  the  support  of  myself 
and  children,  and  succeeded  soon  in  making  myself  independent. 
When  Bennett  came  to  Nauvoo,  Joseph  brought  him  to  my 
house,  stating  that  Bennett  wanted  some  sewing  done,  and  that 
I  should  do  it  for  the  doctor.  I  assented  and  Bennett  gave  me 
a  great  deal  of  work  to  do.  He  knew  that  Joseph  had  his 
plans  set  on  me;  Joseph  made  no  secret  of  them  before  Bennett, 
and  went  so  far  in  his  impudence  as  to  make  propositions  to  me 
in  the  presence  of  Bennett,  his  bosom  friend.  Bennett,  who  was 
of  a  sarcastic  turn  of  mind,  used  to  come  and  tell  me  about 
Joseph  to  tease  and  irritate  me.  One  day  they  came  both,  Joseph 
and  Bennett,  on  horseback  to  my  house.  Bennett  dismounted, 
Joseph  remained  outside.  Bennett  wanted  me  to  return  to  him  a 
book  I  had  borrowed  from  him.  It  was  a  so-called  doctor-book. 
I  had  a  rapidly  growing  little  family  and  wanted  to  inform 
myself  about  certain  matters  in  regard  to  babies,  etc., — this 
explains  my  borrowing  that  book.  While  giving  Bennett  his 
book,  I  observed  that  he  held  something  in  the  left  sleeve  of  his 
coat.  Bennett  smiled  and  said:  "Oh,  a  little  job  for  Joseph; 
one  of  his  women  is  in  trouble."  Saying  this,  he  took  the  thing 
out  of  his  left  sleeve.  It  was  a  pretty  long  instrument  of  a 
kind  I  had  never  seen  before.  It  seemed  to  be  of  steel  and  was 
crooked  at  one  end.  I  heard  afterwards  that  the  operation 
had  been  performed;  that  the  woman  was  very  sick,  and  that 
Joseph  was  very  much  afraid  that  she  might  die,  but  she  re- 
covered. 

Bennett  was  the  most  intimate  friend  of  Joseph  for  a  time. 
He  boarded  with  the  prophet.  He  told  me  once  that  Joseph 
had  been  talking  with  him  about  his  troubles  with  Emma,  his 
wife.  "He  asked  me,"  said  Bennett,  smilingly,  "what  he  should 
do  to  get  out  of  the  trouble?"  I  said,  "This  is  very  simple. 


132  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Get  a  Revelation  that  polygamy  is  right,  and  all  your  troubles 
will  be  at  an  end." 

The  only  "wives"  of  Joseph  that  lived  in  the  Mansion  House 
were  the  Partridge  girls.  This  is  explained  by  the  fact  that 
they  were  the  servants  in  the  hotel  kept  by  the  prophet.  But 
when  Emma  found  out  that  Joseph  went  to  their  room,  they 
had  to  leave  the  house. 

I  remember  Emma's  trip  to  St.  Louis.  I  begged  her  to  buy 
for  me  a  piece  of  black  silk  there. 

You  should  bear  in  mind  that  Joseph  did  not  think  of  a 
marriage  or  sealing  ceremony  for  many  years.  He  used  to 
state  to  his  intended  victims,  as  he  did  to  me:  "God  does  not 
care  if  we  have  a  good  time,  if  only  other  people  do  not  know 
it."  He  only  introduced  a  marriage  ceremony  when  he  had 
found  out  that  he  could  not  get  certain  women  without  it.  I  think 
Louisa  Beaman  was  the  first  of  this  kind.  If  any  woman,  like 
me,  opposed  his  wishes,  he  used  to  say :  "Be  silent,  or  I  shall  ruin 
your  character.  My  character  must  be  sustained  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  church."  When  he  had  assailed  me  and  saw 
that  he  could  not  seal  my  lips,  he  sent  word  to  me  that  he  would 
work  my  salvation,  if  I  kept  silent.  I  sent  back  that  I  would 
talk  as  much  as  I  pleased  and  as  much  as  I  knew  to  be  the  truth, 
and  as  to  my  salvation,  I  would  try  and  take  care  of  that  my- 
self. 

In  his  endeavors  to  ruin  my  character  Joseph  went  so  far 
as  to  publish  an  extra-sheet  containing  affidavits  against  my 
reputation.  When  this  sheet  was  brought  to  me  I  discovered 
to  my  astonishment  the  names  of  two  people  on  it,  man  and 
wife,  with  whom  I  had  boarded  for  a  certain  time.  I  never 
thought  much  of  the  man,  but  the  woman  was  an  honest  person 
and  I  knew  that  she  must  have  been  forced  to  do  such  a  thing 
against  me.  So  I  went  to  their  house ;  the  man  left  the  'house 
hurriedly  when  he  saw  me  coming.  -I  found  the  wife  and  said 
to  her  rather  excitedly:  "What  does  it  all  mean?"  She  began 
to  sob.  "It  is  not  my  fault,"  said  she;  "Hyrum  Smith  came 
to  our  house,  with  the  affidavits  all  written  out,  and  forced 
us  to  sign  them.  'Joseph  and  the  church  must  be  saved,'  said  he. 
We  saw  that  resistance  was  useless,  they  would  have  ruined  us; 
so  we  signed  the  papers."— Mormon  Portraits,  pp.  60-63. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  133 

AFFIDAVIT   OF    LORENZO   SNOW. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1843,  I  returned  from  my  European 
mission.  A  few  days  after  my  arrival  at  Nauvoo,  when  at 
President  Joseph  Smith's  house,  he  said  he  wished  to  have  some 
private  talk  with  me,  and  requested  me  to  walk  out  with  him. 
It  was  toward  evening.  We  walked  a  little  distance  and  sat 
down  on  a  large  log  that  lay  near  the  bank  of  the  river.  He 
there  and  then  explained  to  me  the  doctrine  of  plurality  of 
wives;  he  said  that  the  Lord  had  revealed  it  unto  him,  and 
commanded  him  to  have  women  sealed  to  him  as  wives;  that 
he  foresaw  the  trouble  that  would  follow,  and  sought  to  turn 
away  from  the  commandment;  that  an  angel  from  heaven  then 
appeared  before  him  with  a  drawn  sword,  threatening  him  with 
destruction  unless  he  went  forward  and  obeyed  the  command- 
ment. 

He  further  said  that  my  sister  Eliza  R.  Snow  had  been 
sealed  to  him  as  his  wife  for  time  and  eternity.  He  told  me 
that  the  Lord  would  open  the  way,  and  I  should  have  women 
sealed  to  me  as  wives.  This  conversation  was  prolonged,  I 
think  one  hour  or  more,  in  which* he  told  me  many  important 
things. 

I  solmenly  declare  before  God  and  holy  angels,  and  as  1 
hope  to  come  forth  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  that  the 
above  statement  is  true.  LORENZO  SNOW. 

TERRITORY  OF  UTAH,     ") 
Box  Elder  County.  J 

Personally  came  before  me,  J.  C.  Wright,  Clerk  of  the  County 
and  Probate  Courts  in  and  for  the  County  and  Territory  afore- 
said, Lorenzo  Snow,  and  who  being  duly  sworn  deposeth  and 
says  that  the  foregoing  statement  by  him  subscribed  is  true  to 
his  ,own  certain  knowledge. 

Witness  my  hand  and  seal  of  Court,  at  my  office  in  Brig- 
ham  City,  Box  Elder  County,  Utah  Territory,  this  28th  day 
of  August,  A.  D.  1869.  J.  C.  WRIGHT,  Clerk. 

(Seal.) 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  ORSON  HYDE. 

Orson  Hyde  was  born  in  the  village  of  Oxford,  New 
Haven  County,  Connecticut,  January  8,  1805.  He  united 
with  the  Mormon  Church  in  Ohio  on  the  3ist  of  October, 


134  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

1831,  being  baptized  by  Sidney  Rigdon.  In  1835  he  was 
ordained  an  Apostle.  In  October,  1838,  he  and  Thomas 
B.  Marsh  apostatized  and  made  affidavits  incriminating- 
Joseph  Smith  and  others.  He  was  suspended  from  fel- 
lowship, May  4,  1839,  but  on  June  27  of  the  same  year, 
having  made  confession,  he  was  restored  both  to  fellow- 
ship in  the  church  and  to  his  former  standing  in  the 
Quorum  of  Apostles.  He  went  to  Utah  with  Brigham 
Young,  where  he  died  November  28,  1878.  His  affidavit 
follows : 

SPRING-TOWN,  Sept.  15,   1869. 

I,  Orson  Hyde,  do  hereby  certify  and  declare  according  to 
my  best  recollection  that  on  the  fourth  day  of  September  I  was 
married  to  Miss  Marinda  N.  Johnson,  in  Kirtland,  Ohio,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  1834,  and  in  the  month  of  February  or  March, 
1843,  I  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  R.  Browitt,  by  Joseph  Smith, 
the  martyred  prophet,  and  by  him  she  was  sealed  to  me  for  time 
and  for  all  eternity  in  Nauvoo,  111.,  and  in  the  month  of  April 
of  the  same  year,  1843,  I  was  married  by  the  same  person  to 
Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Price,  and  by  him  she  was  sealed  to  me  for 
time  and  for  all  eternity,  in  Nauvoo,  111.,  while  the  woman  to 
whom  I  was  first  married  was  yet  living,  and  gave  her  cordial 
consent  to  both  transactions,  and  was  personally  present  to 
witness  the  ceremonies.  ORSON  HYDE. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  to  before  me  this  I5th  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1869,  at  Springtown,  Sanpete  County,  U.  T. 

GEORGE  BROUGH, 
Justice  of  the  Peace. 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOSEPH  B.   NOBLE. 

TERRITORY  OF  UTAH,       | 
County  of  Salt  Lake,  j  Sl 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  the  26th  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1869, 
personally  appeared  before  me,  James  Jack,  a  notary  public  in  and 
for  said  county,  Joseph  Bates  Noble,  who  was  by  me  sworn  in 
due  form  of  law,  and  upon  his  oath  saith,  that  on  th2  fifth  day 
of  April,  A.  D.  1841,  at  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  County  of  Hancock, 
State  of  Illinois,  he  married  or  sealed  Louisa  Beaman  to  Joseph 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  135 

Smith,  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day 
Saints,  according  to  the  order  of  celestial  marriage  revealed  to 
the  said  Joseph  Smith.  JOSEPH  B.  NOBLE. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Joseph  Bates  Noble,  the 
day  and  year  first  above  written.  JAMES  JACK, 

(Seal)  Notary  Public. 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  HOWARD  CORAY. 

TERRITORY  OF  UTAH,      j  gs 
County  of  Salt  Lake,  j 

As  many  false  statements  have  been  made  in  relation  to 
the  authorship  of  the  revelation  on  celestial  marriage,  I  deem 
it  but  justice  to  all  lovers  of  truth  for  me  to  express  what  I 
know  concerning  this  very  important  matter. 

On  the  22nd  day  of  July,  A.  D.  1843,  Hyrum  Smith,  the 
martyred  Patriarch,  came  in  a  carriage  to  my  house  in  Nauvoo ; 
he  invited  me  and  my  wife  to  take  a  ride  with  him ;  accordingly, 
as  soon  as  we  could  make  ourselves  ready,  we  got  into  his  car- 
riage and  he  set  off  in  the  direction  of  Carthage.  Having  gone 
a  short  distance,  he  observed  to  us  that  his  brother,  Joseph  Smith, 
the  Prophet,  had  received  a  revelation  on  marriage,  that  was  not 
for  the  public  yet,  which  he  would  rehearse  to  us,  as  he  had 
taken  pains  to  commit  it  to  memory.  He  then  commenced  re- 
hearsing the  revelation  on  celestial  marriage,  not  stopping  till 
he  had  gone  quite  through  with  the  matter.  After  which  he  re- 
viewed that  part  pertaining  to  plurality  of  wives,  dwelling  at  some 
length  upon  the  same,  in  order  that  we  might  clearly  understand 
the  principle.  And  on  the  same  day  (July  22,  1843)  he  sealed 
my  wife,  formerly  Martha  Jane  Knowlton,  to  me ;  and  when 
I  heard  the  revelation  on  celestial  marriage  read  on  the  stand 
in  Salt  Lake  City,  in  1852,  I  recognized  it  as  the  same  as  that 
repeated  to  me  by  Brother  Hyrum  Smith.  Not  long  after  this 
I  was  present  when  Brother  David  Fullmer  and  wife  were 
sealed  by  Brother  Hyrum  Smith,  the  martyred  Patriarch,  ac- 
cording to  the  law  of  celestial  marriage.  And,  besides  the  fore- 
going, there  was  quite  enough  came  within  the  compass  of  my 
observation  to  have  fully  satisfied  my  mind  that  plural  marriage 
was  practiced  in  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  HOWARD  CORAY. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  i8th  day  of  June, 
A.  D.  1882.  JAMES  JACK,  Notary  Public. 

(Seal.) 


136  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 


AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOSEPH   KELTING. 

For  some  time  previous  to  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith,  the 
Mormon  prophet,  I  lived  at  Nauvoo,  Hancock  County,  Illinois.  I 
acted  for  some  years  as  agent  for  Bishop  George  Miller,  and  was 
also  a  deputy  sheriff  in  Hancock  County.  I  heard  rumors  to  the 
effect  that  Joseph  Smith  was  practicing  polygamy,  the  matter 
frequently  being  repeated,  especially  by  Wm.  and  Wilson  Law, 
and  the  Higbees.  Calling  at  the  house  of  the  prophet  one  day, 
early  in  the  spring  of  1844,  on  some  business  or  other  not  now 
remembered,  the  prophet  invited  me  into  a  room  upstairs  in  his 
house,  called  the  mansion.  After  we  entered  the  room  he  locked 
the  door  and  then  asked  me  if  I  had  heard  the  rumors  con- 
necting him  with  polygamy.  I  told  him  I  had.  He  then  began 
a  defense  of  the  doctrine  by  referring  to  the  Old  Testament.  I 
told  him  I  did  not  want  to  hear  that,  as  I  could  read  it  for 
myself.  He  claimed  to  be  a  prophet — I  believed  him  to  be  a 
prophet — and  I  wanted  to  know  what  he  had  to  say  about  it. 
He  expressed  some  doubts  as  to  how  I  might  receive  it,  and 
wanted  to  know  what  stand  I  would  take  if  I  should  not  be- 
lieve what  he  had  to  say  about  it.  I  then  pledged  him  my  word 
that  whether  I  believed  his  revelation  or  not,  I  would  not 
betray  him.  He  then  informed  me  that  he  had  received  a  reve- 
lation from  God,  which  taught  the  correctness  of  the  doctrine 
of  a  plurality  of  wives,  and  commanding  him  to  obey  it.  He 
acknowledged  to  having  married  several  wives.  I  told  him  that 
was  alright.  He  said  he  would  like  a  further  pledge  from  me 
that  I  would  not  betray  him.  I  asked  him  if  he  wanted  me  to 
accept  the  principle  by  marrying  a  plural  wife.  He  answered 
yes.  A  short  time  after  this  I  married  two  wives  in  that  order 
of  marriage. 

On  the  occasion  of  Alexander  H.  Smith,  son  of  the  prophet, 
visiting  me  in  this  country  some  few  years  ago,  I  related  to  him 
the  above  circumstances.  .  .  .  JOSEPH  A.  KELTING. 

STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA,  "I 

County  of  San  Bernardino,  j 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  a  notary  public,  this 
first  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1894.  D-  JOHNSTON, 

(Seal.)  Notary  Public  in  and  for  San  Bernardino 

County,  State  of  California. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  137 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  LUCY  WALKER  SMITH. 

UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA t\ 
State  of  Utah, 

County  of  Salt  Lake.      ) 

Lucy  Walker  Smith  Kimball,  being  first  duly  sworn,  says : 
I  was  a  plural  wife  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and  was  mar- 
ried for  time  and  eternity  in  Nauvoo,  State  of  Illinois,  on  the 
first  day  of  May,  1843,  by  Elder  William  Clayton,  [see  his  affi- 
davit, Chapter  IV.].  The  Prophet  was  then  living  with  his  first 
wife,  Emma  Smith,  and  I  know  that  she  gave  her  consent  to  the 
marriage  of  at  least  four  women  to  her  husband  as  plural 
wives,  and  she  was  well  aware  that  he  associated  and  cohabited 
with  them  as  wives.  The  names  of  these  women  are  Eliza  and 
Emily  Partridge,  and.  Maria  and  Sarah  Lawrence,  all  of  whom 
knew  that  I  too  was  his  wife. 

When  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  mentioned  the  principle  of 
plural  marriage  to  me  I  felt  indignant,  and  so  expressed  myself 
to  him,  because  my  feelings  and  education  were  averse  to  any- 
thing of  that  nature.  But  he  assured  me  that  this  doctrine  had 
been  revealed  to  him  of  the  Lord,  and  that  I  was  entitled  to 
receive  a  testimony  of  its  divine  origin  for  myself.  He  coun- 
seled me  to  pray  to  the  Lord,  which  I  did,  and  thereupon  received 
from  Him  a  powerful  and  irresistible  testimony  of  the  truthful- 
nesss  and  divinity  of  plural  marriage,  which  testimony  has 
abided  with  me  ever  since. 

On  the  8th  day  of  February,  1845,  I  was  married  for 
time  to  President  Heber  C.  Kimball,  and  bore  to  him  nine 
children.  And  in  this  connection  allow  me  to  say  to  his  ever- 
lasting credit  that  during  the  whole  of  my  married  life  with 
him  he  never  failed  to  regard  me  as  the  wife  for  eternity  of  his 
devoted  friend,  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. 

LUCY  WALKER  SMITH  KIMBALL. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  i;th  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1902.  JAMES  JACK,  Notary  Public. 

(Seal.) 


(10) 


138  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

AFFIDAVIT   OF   CATHERINE   PHILLIPS   SMITH. 

UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA,  ~\ 
State  of  Utah, 

County  of  Salt  Lake.       j 

Catherine  Phillips  Smith,  being  first  sworn,  says: 

I  am  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Denner  and  Sarah  Godshall 
Phillips,  and  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
on  the  first  day  of  August,  1819.  My  present  residence  is  East 
Jordan,  Salt  Lake  County,  Utah. 

I  was  married  to  Hyrum  Smith,  brother  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith,  as  his  plural  wife,  and  lived  with  him  as  his 
wife.  The  sealing  was  performed  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith 
himself,  in  Nauvoo,  State  of  Illinois,  in  August,  1843,  m  tne 
brick  office  belonging  to  my  husband,  and  occupied  at  the  time 
as  a  dwelling  by  Brother  and  Sister  Robert  and  Julia  Stone, 
and  was  witnessed  by  my  mother,  Sister  Stone  and  her  daughter 
Hettie. 

In  consequence  of  the  strong  feeling  manifested  at  the  time 
against  plural  marriage  and  those  suspected  of  having  entered 
into  it,  I,  with  my  mother,  moved  to  St.  Louis  near  the  close 
of  the  year,  where  I  was  living  when  the  Prophet  Joseph  and 
my  husband  were  martyred. 

The  purpose  of  this  affidavit  is  that  my  testimony  to  the 
truthfulness  and  divinity  of  plural  marriage  may  live  after  I 
shall  have  passed  away;  and  in  this  spirit  I  commend  it  to  all 
to  whom  it  may  come.  CATHERINE  PHILLIPS  SMITH. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  this  28th  day  of  January, 
1903.  L,  JOHN  NUTTALL, 

(Seal.)  Notary  Public. 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  ALMIRA  W.  JOHNSON  SMITH   BARTON. 
TERRITORY  OF  UTAH, 


County  of  Iron,         S  ' 

Be  it  remembered  on  this  first  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1883, 
personally  appeared  before  me  John  W.  Brown,  a  notary  public 
in  and  for  said  county,  Almira  W.  Johnson  Smith  Barton,  who 
was  by  me  sworn  in  due  form  of  law,  and  upon  her  oath  says: 
I  am  a  citizen  in  the  Territory  of  Utah,  over  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  that  I  am  the  daughter  of  Ezekiel  Johnson  and 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  139 

Julia  Hills  Johnson,  his  wife;  that  I  was  born  at  Westford,  in 
the  State  of  Vermont,  on  the  22nd  day  of  October,  A.  D.  1813; 
that  I  had  nine  brothers  who  were  named  respectfully  Joel  H., 
Seth,  David,  Benjamin  F.,  Joseph  E.,  Elmer,  George  W.,  William 
D.,  and  Amos;  and  six  sisters  named  respectfully  Nancy, 
Dulcena,  Julia,  Susan,  Mary  and  Esther,  all  of  whom,  with  my- 
self, were  baptized  into  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
Day  Saints  with  the  exception  of  Elmer,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Deponent  further  says,  that  in  the  years  1842  and  1843,  I 
resided  most  of  the  time  at  Macedonia,  in  the  County  of  Han- 
cock, State  of  Illinois,  sometimes  with  my  sister  who  was  the 
wife  of  Almon  W.  Babbitt,  and  sometimes  with  my  brother 
Benjamin  F.  Johnson.  During  that  time  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  taught  me  the  principle  of  celestial  marriage  including 
plurality  of  wives  and  asked  me  to  become  his  wife.  He  first 
spoke  to  me  on  this  subject  at  the  house  of  my  brother  Benjamin 
F.  I  also  lived  a  portion  of  the  time  at  Brother  Joseph  Smith's, 
in  Nauvoo,  when  many  conversations  passed  between  him  and 
myself  on  this  subject.  On  a  certain  occasion  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  1843,  the  exact  date  of  which  I  do  not  now  recollect, 
I  went  from  Macedonia  to  Nauvoo  to  visit  another  of  my  sisters, 
the  one  who  was  the  widow  of  Lyman  R.  Sherman,  deceased,  at 
which  time  I  was  sealed  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith.  At  the 
time  this  took  place  Hyrum  Smith,  Joseph's  brother,  came  to  me 
and  said  I  need  not  be  afraid.  I  had  been  fearing  and  doubting 
about  the  principle  and  so  had  he,  but  he  now  knew  it  was  true. 
After  this  time  I  lived  with  the  Prophet  Joseph  as  his  wife,  and 
he  visited  me  at  the  home  of  my  brother  Benjamin  F.  at  Mace- 
donia. 

Deponent  further  says  that  I  had  many  conversations  with 
Eliza  Beaman  who  was  also  a  wife  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  who 
was  present  when  I  was  sealed  to  him,  on  the  subject  of  plurality 
of  wives,  both  before  and  after  the  performance  of  that  cere- 
mony. And  also  that  since  the  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  I  was  married  for  time  to  Reuben  Barton  of  Nauvoo, 
Hancock  Co.,  111.,  by  whom  I  have  had  five  daughters,  one  only 
of  whom  is  now  living.  ALMIRA  W.  JOHNSON  SMITH  BARTON. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Almira  W.  Johnson 
Smith  Barton  the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

(Seal.)  JOHN  W.  BROWN,  Notary  Public. 


140  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

AFFIDAVIT  OF   MARTHA   M^BRIDE   KIMBALL 

TERRITORY  OF  UTAH, 
County  of  Millard. 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  eighth  day  of  July,  A.  D. 
1869,  personally  appeared  before  me  Edward  Partridge,  Probate 
Judge  in  and  for  said  county,  Martha  McBride  Kimball,  who  was 
by  me  sworn  in  due  form  of  law,  and  upon  her  oath  saith  that 
sometime  in  the  summer  of  the  year  1842,  at  the  city  of  Nauvoo, 
county  of  Hancock,  state  of  Illinois,  she  was  married  or  sealed 
to  Joseph  Smith,  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  by  Heber  C.  Kimball,  one  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  in  said  Church,  according  to  the  laws  of  the  same 
regulating  marriage.  MARTHA  MCBRIDE  KIMBALL. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  said  Martha  McBride  Kimball 
the  day  and  year  first  above  written.  EDWARD  PARTRIDGE, 

.(Seal.)  Probate  Judge. 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  MELISSA  LOTT  WILLES. 


TERRITORY  OF  UTAH,       , 

ss* 


County  of  Salt  Lake.  J 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  twentieth  day  of  May,  A.  D. 
1869,  personally  appeared  before  me,  James  Jack,  a  notary  public 
in  and  for  said  county,  Melissa  Lott  Willes,  who  was  by  me 
sworn  in  due  form  of  law,  and  upon  her  oath  saith  that  on  tne 
twentieth  day  of  September,  A.  D.  1843,  at  the  city  of  Nauvoo, 
county  of  Hancock,  state  of  Illinois,  she  was  married  or  sealed 
to  Joseph  Smith,  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  by  Hyrum  Smith,  Presiding  Patriarch  of 
said  Church,  according  to  the  laws  of  the  same  regulating 
marriage,  in  the  presence  of  Cornelius  P.  Lott  and  Parmelia 
Lott.  MELISSA  LOTT  WILLES. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Melissa  Lott  Willes,  the 
day  and  year  first  above  written.  JAMES  JACK, 

(Seal.)  Notary  Public. 


TERRITORY  OF  UTAH, 

'  ss. 


AFFIDAVIT  OF  SARAH  A.  KIMBALL. 

County  of  Salt  Lake,  j 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  nineteenth  day  of  June,  A.  D. 
1869,  personally  appeared  before  me  Elias  Smith,  Probate  Judge 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  141 

for  said  county,  Sarah  Ann  Kimball,  who  was  by  me  sworn  in 
due  form  of  law,  and  upon  her  oath  saith  that  on  the  twenty- 
seventh  day  of  July,  A.  D.  1842,  at  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  county 
of  Hancock,  state  of  Illinois,  she  was  married  or  sealed  to 
Joseph  Smith,  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  by  Newel  K.  Whitney,  Presiding  Bishop  of 
said  Church,  according  to  the  laws  of  the  same  regulating  mar- 
riage, in  the  presence  of  Elizabeth  Ann  Whitney,  her  mother. 

SARAH  A.  KIMBALL. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Sarah  Ann  (Whitney) 
Kimball,  the  day  and  year  first  above  written.      E.  SMITH, 

Probate  Judge. 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  ELIZABETH   A.   WHITNEY. 
TERRITORY  OF  UTAH, 


County  of  Salt  Lake.   '  SS* 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  thirtieth  day  of  August,  A.  D. 
1869,  personally  appeared  before  me,  James  Jack,  a  notary  public 
in  and  for  said  county,  Elizabeth  Ann  Whitney,  who  was  by  me 
sworn  in  due  form  of  law,  and  upon  her  oath  saith  that  on  the 
twenty-seventh  day  of  July,  A.  D.  1842,  at  the  city  of  Nauvoo, 
county  of  Hancock,  state  of  Illinois,  she  was  present  and 
witnessed  the  marrying  or  sealing  of  her  daughter  Sarah  Ann 
Whitney  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  for  time  and  all  eternity, 
by  her  husband  Newel  K.  Whitney  then  Presiding  Bishop  of  the 
Church.  E.  A.  WHITNEY. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Elizabeth  Ann  Whit- 
ney the  day  and  year  first  above  written. 

JAMES  JACK,  Notary  Public. 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  EMILY  D.  P.  YOUNG. 

TERRITORY  OF  UTAH,        *) 
County  of  Salt  Lake.  J  S' 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  first  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1869, 
personally  appeared  before  me,  Elias  Smith,  Judge  of  Probate 
for  said  county,  Emily  Dow  Partridge  Young,  who  was  by  me 
sworn  in  due  form  of  law,  and  upon  her  oath,  saith  that  on  the 
eleventh  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1843,  at  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  County 
of  Hancock,  State  of  Illinois,  she  was  married  or  sealed  to 
Joseph  Smith,  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter  Day  Saints,  by  James  Adams,  a  High  Priest  in  said 


142  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

church,  according  to  the  law  o"  the  same  regulating  marriage, 
in  the  presence  of  Emma  (Haie)  Smith  and  Eliza  Maria  Par- 
tridge (Lyman).  EMILY  D.  P.  YOUNG. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Emily  D.  P.  Young, 
the  day  and  year  first  above  written.  E.  SMITH, 

Probate  Judge. 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  RHODA  RICHARDS  SMITH. 

TERRITORY  OF  UTAH,        j  gs 
County  of  Salt  Lake,  j 

Be  it  remembered  that  on  this  first  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1869, 
personally  appeared  before  me,  Elias  Smith,  Probate  Judge 
for  said  county,  Rhoda  Richards,  who  was  by  me  sworn  in  due 
form  of  law  and  upon  her  oath  saith  that  on  the  twelfth  day 
of  June,  A.  D.  1843,  at  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  County  of  Hancock, 
State  of  Illinois,  she  was  married  or  sealed  to  Joseph  Smith, 
President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
by  Willard  Richards,  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  of  said  Church, 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  same  regulating  marriage. 

RHODA  RICHARDS. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  the  said  Rhoda  Richards,  the 
day  and  year  above  written.  ELIAS  SMITH,  Probate  Judge. 

(Seal.)      t 

This  completes  the  direct  testimony  that  we  have  to 
offer  to  prove  that  Joseph  Smith  both  taught  and  prac- 
ticed polygamy.  Much  more  might  be  given,  but  we 
deem  this  sufficient  to  establish  the  point  at  issue.  Of 
the  statements  and  affidavits  presented,  two  are  from 
his  Counselors ;  another  is  from  a  woman  whom  he  tried 
to  seduce ;  two  are  from  men  to  whom  he  taught  the  doc- 
trine ;  another  is  from  a  man  whom  he  married  to  a  plural 
wife;  another  is  from  a  man  who  officiated  at  one  of  his 
plural  marriages ;  another  is  from  a  man  who  was  taught 
the  doctrine  by  his  brother  Hyrum ;  another  is  from  a 
woman  whom  he  married  to  her  husband  as  a  plural  wife ; 
another  is  from  a  woman  who  witnessed  his  sealing  to 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  143 

her  daughter  in  plural  marriage ;  and  seven  are   from 
those  who  became  his  plural  wives. 

CERTAIN  OBJECTIONS  CONSIDERED. 

The  Josephites,  feeling  the  force  of  the  foregoing 
affidavits,  contend  that  they  are  simply  lies,  told  and 
sworn  to  by  interested  parties  in  order  to  justify  their 
own  polygamous  practices,  and  claim  that  they  contradict 
themselves  and  other  statements. 

But  these  charges  are  more  easily  made  than  proved. 
While  it  is  true  that  most  of  those  who  have  affirmed 
that  Joseph  Smith  both  taught  and  practiced  polygamy 
have  been  interested  parties — that  is,  have  been  connected 
with  the  Utah  Church — it  is,  nevertheless,  true  that  their 
affirmations  upon  this  particular  point  agree  with  the 
charges  that  were  made  both  before  and  after  the  Proph- 
et's death  by  men  and  women  who  were  not  members 
of  that  church  and  who  were  bitterly  opposed  to  polyg- 
amy. And  this  strengthens  our  belief  that  the  individ- 
uals, whose  sworn  statements  we  have  given,  have  told 
the  truth.  Among  those  who  were  not  members  of  the 
Utah  Church,  who  have  declared  that  the  doctrine  and 
practice  of  plural  marriage  originated  with  Smith  himself, 
may  be  mentioned  John  C.  Bennett,  Captain  Olney,  Sid- 
ney Rigdon,  George  W.  Robinson,  Sarah  M.  Pratt,  Will- 
iam Law,  Jane  Law,  Austin  Cowles  and  Leonard  Soby. 

After  a  careful  examination,  I  also  regard  the  charge 
that  the  parties,  whose  affidavits  we  have  given,  have 
contradicted  themselves  and  others  or  known  facts,  as 
overdrawn  and  exaggerated.  That  there  may  be  found 
among  the  hundred,  or  more,  affidavits  a  few  points  of 
conflict  in  unimportant  details,  need  not  surprise  us  when 
we  consider  the  lapse  of  time  between  the  events  them- 
selves and  the  dates  when  the  affidavits  were  made;  the 


144  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

various  viewpoints  of  the  affiants ;  the  difference  in  point 
of  opportunity;  and  the  diverse  circumstances  in  which 
they  were  placed.  But  these  do  not  prove  untrue  the 
claim,  upon  which  they  all  agree,  that  Joseph  Smith  both 
taught  and  practiced  polygamy.  The  Josephites,  however, 
have  collected  a  few  of  these  apparent  discrepancies, 
and  by  them  attempt  to  discredit  not  only  those  affidavits 
in  which  they  are  found,  but  all  the  rest  and  so  remove 
from  the  field  this  mass  of  incriminating  evidence  against 
the  Prophet.  I  am  not  here  as  an  apologist  for  the 
Brighamites,  but  a  desire  for  the  truth  impels  me  to 
point  out  a  number  of  inconsistencies  in  the  arguments 
that  have  been  advanced  by  the  leaders  of  the  Reor- 
ganized Church  against  the  affidavits  which  I  have  sub- 
mitted. Unfortunately,  I  have  not  been  able  to  procure 
several  of  the  works  to  which  they  refer,  but  in  most 
instances  the  poor  logic  of  their  arguments  is  so  apparent 
that  little  research  is  required  in  order  to  refute  them. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  the  Josephites  try  to  discredit 
the  testimony  of  Joseph  B.  Noble  because  he  states  that 
"on  the  fifth  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1841,  at  the  city  of 
Nauvoo,  County  of  Hancock,  State  of  Illinois,  he  married 
or  sealed  Louisa  Beaman  to  Joseph  Smith,  President 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  ac- 
cording to  the  order  of  celestial  marriage  revealed  to  the 
said  Joseph  Smith." : 

It  is  objected  that  if  Noble  married  Miss  Beaman  to 
the  Prophet  on  the  date  given,  she  became  the  latter's 

1  Bennett  confirms  Noble's  statement  by  the  following  (Expose,  p. 
256) :  "In  concluding  this  subject,  however,  I  will  semi-state  two  or  more 
cases,  among  the  vast  number,  where  Joe  Smith  was  privately  married  to 

his  spiritual  wives — in  the  case  of  Mrs.  A S ,  by  Apostle  Brigham 

Young;  and  in  that  of  Miss  L B ,  by  Elder  Joseph  Bates  Noble." 

Who    was    Miss    L B ,    married    to    Smith    by    Noble,    but    Miss 

Louisa  Beaman?  Bennett's  charge  was  made  in  1842;  Noble's  affidavit  ap- 
peared in  1869. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  145 

plural  wife  before  she  was  baptized,  which  they  consider 
a  very  improbable  thing,  that  event  occurring  on  May  n, 
1843,  according  to  an  entry  in  the  Prophet's  "Diary,"  and 
also  two  years,  three  months  and  seven  days  before  the 
"Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage"  was  received. 

The  entry  in  the  Prophet's  "Diary,"  relating  to  the 
baptism  of  Louisa  Beeman,  reads:  "Thursday,  nth.  At 
six  a.  m.  baptized  Loisa  Beeman,  Sarah  Alley,  and 
others."  But,  in  the  first  place,  it  is  not  proved  that  the 
"Loisa"  Beeman  mentioned  in  this  entry  is  the  Louisa 
Beaman  whom  Noble  says  he  married  to  the  Prophet 
Joseph;  there  may  have  been  another  woman  or  girl  of 
the  same  name  in  Nauvoo.  In  the  second  place,  if  this 
identity  should  be  proved,  her  baptism  may  have  been  a 
rebaptism.1  And,  in  the  third  place,  it  is  positively  ab- 
surd to  say  that  she  would  have  to  be  a  baptized  member 
of  the  church  in  order  to  become  a  consort  of  the  Prophet 
in  1841. 

As  for  the  second  objection,  it  has  little  force  when 
the  fact  is  taken  into  consideration  that  Smith  claimed 
that  the  principle  of  plural  marriage  was  revealed  to  him 
long  before  July  12,  1843,  and  that  by  the  divine  com- 
mand he  took  plural  wives  as  early  as  1841,  though  the 
"Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage"  was  not  received  until 
the  former  date.  That  Joseph  had  taken  wives  before 
the  I2th  of  July,  1843,  and  that,  too,  with  the  divine 
sanction,  as  he  claimed,  is  shown  by  a  clause  in  the  "Rev- 
elation" which  reads :  "Let  mine  handmaid  Emma  Smith, 


1  The  Mormon  Church  practiced  both  baptism  for  the  dead  and  rebap- 
tism, as  is  proved  by  the  following  entries  in  Smith's  "Diary":  "Tuesday, 
z8th  [December,  1841],  I  baptized  Sidney  Rigdon  in  the  font,  for  and  in 
behalf  of  his  parents;  also  baptized  Reynolds  Cahoon  and  others." — 
Millennial  Star,  Vol.  XIX.,  p.  7.  "My  dear  Emma  was  worse.  Many  fears 
were  entertained  that  she  would  not  recover.  She  was  baptized  twice  in 
the  river,  which  evidently  did  her  much  good." — Millennial  Star,  Vol. 
XX.,  p.  87. 


146  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

receive  all  those  that  have  been  given  unto  my  servant 
Joseph."  And  that  there  were  other  revelations  on  po- 
lygamy before  1843,  is  made  certain  by  the  admission  of 
J.  W.  Briggs,  who  said  on  the  witness-stand  in  the 
Temple-lot  Suit:  "I  heard  something  about  a  revelation 
on  polygamy,  or  plural  marriage,  when  I  was  in  Nauvoo 
in  1842."  In  addition  to  all  this,  let  the  reader  also  notice 
that  the  affidavit  does  not  state  that  Miss  Beaman  and 
the  Prophet  were  married  according  to  the  "Revelation 
on  Celestial  Marriage,"  but  according  to  "the  order  of 
celestial  marriage  revealed  to  the  said  Joseph  Smith." 
The  former,  it  is  claimed,  was  received  July  12,  1843 ; 
the  latter  was  known  as  early  as  1831. 

A  labored  effort  is  also  made  to  prove  that  Noble 
contradicts  his  affidavit  in  his  testimony  given  in  the 
celebrated  Temple-lot  Suit.  In  the  latter  he  says: 

I  never  heard  Joseph  Smith  teach  the  church  the  doctrine 
of  polygamy,  or  that  a  man  could  have  more  wives  than  one, 
either  publicly  or  privately. 

In  commenting  on  this,  Elder  W.  J.  Smith  says: 

Would  any  man  living  have  perfect  and  complete  confidence 
in  such  a  man's  oath?  If  Joseph  taught  him  polygamy  in  1841, 
and  he  then  and  there  sealed  to  Joseph  Miss  Beeman,  did  he  not 
swear  to  a  lie  in  1892  when  he  swore  that  he  never  heard  Joseph 
teach  "EITHER  PUBLICLY  OR  PRIVATELY"  that  a  man  could  have 
more  wives  than  one"? — Joseph  Smith:  Who  Was  He?,  p.  77. 

But  Noble  does  not  say  that  Smith  never  taught  him 
the  doctrine  of  plural  marriage,  but  that  he  never  heard 
him  teach  it  to  the  church.  That  it  was  taught  to 
certain  individuals  is  proved  beyond  doubt,  but  that  it  was 
taught  in  the  church,  as  a  body,  has  always  been  denied. 
But  even  if  it  had  been  and  Noble  had  not  been  present 
to  hear  it,  he  could  consistently  have  given  the  testimony 
that  he  did. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  147 

2.  Mr.    Smith   labors   hard   to   make    Lucy   Walker 
Smith  Kimball  contradict  herself.    In  one  of  her  affidavits 
(I  employ  his  asterisks  and  emphasis)  she  says: 

Shortly  afterwards  I  consented  to  become  the  prophet's  wife, 
and  was  married  to  him  May  ist,  1843.  *  *  *  I  am  also  able  to 
testify  that  Emma  Smith  *  *  *  GAVE  HER  CONSENT  to  the  marriage 
of  at  least  four  other  girls  to  her  husband,  and  that  she  was  well 
aware  that  he  associated  with  them  as  wives  within  the  meaning 
of  all  that  word  implies. 

In  her  testimony  in  the  Temple-lot  Suit,  as  given 
by  Mr.  Smith,  she  says  of  her  own  marriage  to  the 
Prophet : 

Emma   Smith   was   not  present,   and   she   did   NOT  CONSENT 

to  the  marriage;   and  did  not  know  anything  about  it  at  all. 

No,  sir,  she  did  not  know  anything  about  my  marriage  to  her 
husband. 

But  there  is  no  contradiction  here.  In  her  affidavit, 
she  does  not  say  that  Emma  consented  to  her  marriage 
to  Joseph,  but  to  the  "marriage  of  at  least  four  other 
girls;"  in  her  testimony  in  the  Temple-lot  Suit,  she 
simply  denies  that  Emma  gave  her  consent  to  her  own 
marriage.  I  am  astonished  beyond  measure  that  any 
fair-minded  man  should  not  see  this.  The  capitals  used 
by  way  of  emphasis  may  deceive  the  superficial,  but  they 
can  not  deceive  the  one  who  carefully  compares  the  two 
statements. 

3.  Emily   D.    P.   Young's   testimony   is   objected   to 
on  the  score  that  it  is  stated  in  the  third  person  and  that 
she  declares  that  she  was  married  to  Smith  "under  the 
revelation  on  plural  marriage"  on  the   nth  of  March, 

1843- 

Apostle  Heman  C.  Smith,  in  his  "The  Truth  De- 
fended," page  1 68,  states  the  first  objection  as  follows: 

The  testimony  of  Emily  D   P.  Young  is  written  in  the  third 


148  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

person  and  shows  on  the  face  of  it  that  it  was  framed  by  some 
other  person  for  her,  and  she  in  some  way  induced  to  sub- 
scribe to  it. 

But  there  is  no  force  to  this  objection  for  the  reason 
that  it  is  only  legal  form,  most  affidavits  being  written 
in  the  third  person.  But  Mr.  Smith's  inconsistency  is 
betrayed  only  two  pages  further  over  in  his  own  book, 
where  he  introduces  the  testimony  of  R.  W.  Southard, 
one  of  his  own  witnesses,  which  is  also  stated  in  the  third 
person.  Was  Southard's  affidavit  framed  for  him,  and 
was  he  in  some  way  induced  by  the  Josephites  to  sub- 
scribe to  it? 

As  for  the  objection  that  Mrs.  Young  could  not  have 
been  married  to  the  Prophet  "under  the  revelation  on 
plural  marriage"  on  May  n,  1843,  because  it  is  claimed 
that  that  revelation  was  not  given  until  July  12  follow- 
ing, we  have  only  to  say,  as  has  been  said  before,  that 
it  never  has  been  claimed  that  the  revelation  of  July  12, 
1843,  was  the  only  revelation  that  Smith  ever  received 
on  celestial  marriage.  It  was  only  a  restatement  of  what 
both  Smith  and  the  "Revelation"  itself  claim  was  re- 
vealed before. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  149 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Josephite     Admissions — Isaac     Sheen — William     Marks — J.    W. 
Briggs — W.  W.  Blair — The  Robinsons — Justus  Morse. 

The  Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  properly  had  its  beginning  at  a  conference 
held  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  in  June,  1852.  The  leaders 
in  this  movement  were  Zenas  H.  Gurley  and  Jason  W. 
Briggs.  The  first-named  had  united  with  the  Mormons 
in  1838,  and  after  the  Prophet's  death,  had  successively 
followed  the  fortunes  of  Brigham  Young  and  James  J. 
Strang;  while  Briggs,  having  become  connected  with 
the  original  church  in  1841,  had  thrown  in  his  fortunes, 
first  with  the  Brighamites,  then  with  the  Strangites  and, 
lastly,  with  the  followers  of  William  Smith.  Becoming 
tired  of  these  leaders,  these  men  brought  their  folio w- 
ings  together  and  started  the  Reorganization,  in  the  year 
named,  on  the  theory  "that  the  successor  of  Joseph  Smith, 
Junior,  as  the  Presiding  High  Priest  in  the  Melchisedec 
Priesthood,  must  of  necessity  be  the  seed  of  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  in  fulfillment  of  the  law  and  promises  of 
God."  It  may  be  interesting  to  the  reader  to  know 
that,  though  Gurley  died  in  the  church  which  he  had 
helped  to  found,  Briggs  and  Gurley's  family  withdrew 
in  1886  and  ever  afterwards  held  aloof. 

But  very  few  of  those  who  were  prominent  in  the 
affairs  at  Nauvoo  in  the  days  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  who 
were  in  a  position  to  know  at  first-hand  of  his  polygamous 
practices,  ever  united  with  the  Josephites.  Indeed,  either 
the  factions  of  Rigdon  or  Strang  had  a  greater  number 
of  the  leaders  of  the  original  church  among  them  than 


150  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

were  ever  to  be  found  among  the  followers  of  Briggs  and 
Gurley,  while  the  whole  number  of  original  Mormons 
who  united  with  the  Reorganization  would  not  exceed 
one  thousand,  and  would  probably  fall  far  below  that 
number.1 

Most  conspicuous  among  those  who,  after  filling 
positions  of  prominence  in  the  original  church,  united 
with  the  Reorganization,  may  be  mentioned  Emma  Smith, 
wife  of  the  Prophet;  William  Smith,  who  became  con- 
nected with  it  in  1878 ;  William  Marks,  former  President 
of  the  High  Council  at  Nauvoo,  and  Ebenezer  Robinson, 
one-time  editor  of  the  Times  and  Seasons.  Of  these, 
Marks  and  Robinson  both  confessed  that  polygamy  had 
been  taught  by  the  church  officials  at  Nauvoo,  while 
William  Smith,  himself,  advocated  it  at  a  conference  of 
his  faction  held  at  Palestine,  Lee  County,  Illinois,  in  1851. 
The  authorities  of  the  original  church,  evidently,  steered 
clear  of  the  Reorganization  because  they  could  not  truth- 
fully say,  either  that  Joseph  Smith  had  not  practiced 
polygamy  or  that  he  had  repented  of  his  connection  with 
it  before  his  death. 

At  first,  in  fact  as  late  as  1860,  the  leading  Joseph- 
ites  acknowledged  that  Smith  had  been  connected  with 
polygamy,  but  claimed  that  he  afterwards  repented  of  it 
and  had  the  revelation  enjoining  it  burned.  But,  sub- 
sequently, when  the  son  of  the  Prophet  became  their 
leader,  they  changed  their  position  and  denied  that  Joseph 
had  ever  taught  or  practiced  it,  claiming  that  it  originated 
with  Brigham  Young  or  some  one  else. 

David  Whitmer,  one  of  the  three  witnesses  to  the 


JW.  W.  Blair,  Josephite,  in  the  Temple-lot  Suit,  said  that  "one 
thousand  was  probably  too  high  an  estimate  for  the  members  of  the 
original  church  that  joined  the  'Reorganized*  Church."  The  number  that 
followed  Young  was  at  least  twenty  thousand. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  151 

Book  of  Mormon,  who,  falling  out  with  Smith,  aposta- 
tized in  1838,  but  who  ever  afterwards  watched  the  move- 
ments of  the  church  with  great  interest,  says  on  this 
point: 

I  see  that  when  the  Reorganized  Church  was  established, 
the  fact  that  Joseph  received  this  revelation  was  then  known  and 
acknowledged  in  editorials  in  the  Herald.  The  reason  why  these 
articles  were  written  in  the  Herald  was  to  explain  why  the 
Reorganized  Church  rejected  the  revelation  received  by  Brother 
Joseph  on  polygamy,  and  to  "xplain  that  he  repented  of  his  con- 
nection with  polygamy  just  previous  to  his  death.  As  time 
rolled  on,  many  of  the  Reorganization  saw  that  to  continue  to 
acknowledge  that  Brother  Joseph  received  this  revelation  would 
bring  bitter  persecution  upon  themselves,  as  the  public  feeling, 
at  that  time,  was  very  bitter.  .  .  .  The  leaders  of  the  Reorganized 
Church,  after  a  time,  began  to  suppress  their  opinions  concerning 
this  matter.  They  would  answer  the  question  when  asked 
about  it:  "/  do  not  know  whether  Joseph  Smith  received  that 
revelation  or  not."  This  was  a  truthful  but  evasive  answer, 
as  it  was  not  a  matter  of  knowledge,  except  with  a  few.  All, 
or  nearly  all,  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Reorganization  who  were 
living  in  Nauvoo  in  1843  and  1844  have  now  passed  away,  and 
you  see  what  time  has  done  in  this  regard.  To-day  nearly 
all  of  the  Reorganization  do  not  believe  that  Brother  Joseph 
received  the  revelation  on  polygamy,  or  ever  had  any  connection 
whatever  with  the  doctrine  of  polygamy,  openly  and  firmly 
denying  this  fact;  some  through  ignorance,  and  some  who 
should  not  be  so  ignorant  about  this  matter.  They  charge  it  all 
to  Brigham  Young. — An  Address  to  All  Believers  in  Christ,  p.  39. 

The  first  position  assumed  by  the  Reorganized  Church 
was  that  the  Prophet  had  received  the  "Revelation  on 
Celestial  Marriage"  attributed  to  him,  but  that  he  had 
been  deceived,  that  the  revelation  was  a  false  revelation 
given  to  those  who  had  set  up  idols  in  their  hearts, 
and  that,  as  a  consequence  of  giving  this  false  revelation, 
he  had  been  cut  off  from  the  midst  of  the  people.  This 
position  was  defended  by  both  Isaac  Sheen  and  W.  W. 


152  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Blair,1  who  based  it  upon  the  language  of  the  prophet 
Ezekiel  (14:7-11)  : 

For  every  one  of  the  house  of  Israel,  or  of  the  stranger 
that  sojourneth  in  Israel,  which  separateth  himself  from  me, 
and  setteth  up  his  idols  in  his  heart,  and  putteth  the  stumbling- 
block  of  his  iniquity  before  his  face,  and  cometh  to  the  prophet 
to  enquire  of  him  concerning  me;  I  the  Lord  will  answer 
him  by  myself: 

And  I  will  set  my  face  against  that  man,  and  will  make  him 
a  sign  and  a  proverb,  and  I  will  cut  him  off  from  the  midst  of 
my  people;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord. 

And  if  the  prophet  be  deceived  when  he  hath  spoken  a  thing, 
I  the  Lord  have  deceived  that  prophet,  and  I  will  stretch  out  my 
hand  upon  him,  and  will  destroy  him  from  the  midst  of  my  peo- 
ple Israel. 

And  they  shall  bear  the  punishment  of  their  iniquity:  the 
punishment  of  the  prophet  shall  be  even  as  the  punishment  of  him 
that  seeketh  unto  him; 

That  the  house  of  Israel  may  go  no  more  astray  from  me, 
neither  be  polluted  any  more  with  all  their  transgressions;  but 
that  they  may  be  my  people,  and  I  may  be  their  God,  saith  the 
Lord  God. 

It  is  my  purpose  in  this  chapter  to  lay  before  the 
reader  some  of  the  admissions  that  have  been  made  by 
the  leaders  of  the  Reorganized  Church  which  plainly 
connect  Joseph  Smith  with  both  the  doctrine  and  prac- 
tice of  polygamy. 

ADMISSION  OF  ISAAC  SHEEN. 

Isaac  Sheen  became  connected  with  the  Reorganized 
Church  in  the  year  1859.  In  the  following  January,  he 
became  editor  of  its  official  organ,  the  True  Latter-day 
Saints'  Herald,  which  office  he  filled  up  to  1865.  At  a 
conference  held  at  Amboy,  Illinois,  in  April,  1860,  he 
was  ordained  President  of  the  Quorum  of  High  Priests, 

1  The  True  Latter-day  Saints'  Herald,  March,  1860  (p.  64),  July  15, 
1864  (pp.  23,  24),  and  November  15,  1864  (pp.  155,  156). 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  153 

which  position,  I  believe,  he  held  the  remainder  of  his 
life.    - 

In  an  article  published  in  the  first  issue  of  the  paper 
mentioned,  he  says: 

The  Salt  Lake  Apostles  also  excuse  themselves  by  saying 
that  Joseph  Smith  taught  the  spiritual-wife  doctrine,  but  this 
excuse  is  as  weak  as  their  excuse  concerning  the  ancient  kings 
and  patriarchs.  Joseph  Smith  repented  of  his  connection  with 
this  doctrine,  and  said  that  it  was  of  the  devil.  He  caused  the 
revelation  on  that  subject  to  be  burned,  and  when  he  voluntarily 
came  to  Nauvoo  and  resigned  himself  into  the  arms  of  his 
enemies,  he  said  that  he  was  going  to  Carthage  to  die.  At  that 
time  he  also  said,  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  that  accursed  spirit- 
ual-wife doctrine,  he  would  not  have  come  to  that.  By  his 
conduct  at  that  time  he  proved  the  sincerity  of  his  repentance, 
and  of  his  profession  as  a  prophet.  If  Abraham  and  Jacob 
by  repentance  can  obtain  salvation  and  exaltation,  so  can  Joseph 
Smith. 

Over  forty  years  after  the  foregoing  was  published, 
the  editor  of  the  same  paper  tried  to  explain  away  its 
evident  sense  in  the  following: 

It  is  possible  that  if  there  was  anything  of  the  kind  going 
on  Joseph  Smith  may  have  had  some  knowledge  of  it,  without 
being  implicated  in  it.  In  this  there  is  not  a  suggestion  as  to 
what  was  the  connection  of  Joseph  Smith  to  the  dogma,  or 
practice  of  polygamy.  Isaac  Sheen  was  not  a  resident  of  Nauvoo, 
and  was  not  a  leading  man  in  the  church  in  1844,  and  possibly 
had  never  more  than  seen  Joseph  Smith,  and  could  have  known 
nothing  personally  about  it.  He  is  in  error  about  causing  the 
revelation  to  be  burned,  or,  if  not,  he  makes  the  case  better 
for  Joseph  Smith  in  connection  with  that  paper;  for  if  he 
burned  it,  or  caused  it  to  be  done,  no  one  had  the  right  to 
revive  it,  or  reproduce  even  a  copy  of  it.  Again,  he  makes 
Joseph  Smith  to  say  it  is  an  accursed  doctrine  and  "of  the 
devil,"  a  thing  incredible  upon  the  assumption  that  he  had  a 
revelation  authorizing  it  which  he  believed  to  be  from  God. 
The  statement  made  by  Isaac  Sheen  does  not  implicate  Joseph 
Smith  as  either  teaching  or  practicing  polygamy, 
(ID 


154  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

That  Isaac  Sheen  could  have  known  nothing  per- 
sonally about  Joseph  Smith's  polygamous  relations,  I 
readily  concede,  but  that  he  believed  that  the  Prophet  had 
been  guilty  of  favoring  such  relations  and  that  he  was 
expressing  a  well-founded  conviction,  which  at  that  time 
was  practically  unquestioned,  I  most  emphatically  affirm. 
That  his  sentiments  in  this  particular  were  not  ques- 
tioned, even  by  the  Reorganizers,  is  proved  by  the  facts 
that  not  a  voice  was  raised  against  him  for  publishing 
this  article  and  that  he  continued  for  a  number  of  years 
an  honored  and  official  member  of  their  church.  His 
statement  plainly  shows  that  it  was  the  general,  if  not 
the  universal,  belief  among  even  the  Josephites  that  po- 
lygamy existed  before  the  Prophet's  death  and  that  there 
was  a  revelation  on  the  subject;  that  Smith,  himself,  had 
some  connection  with  this  doctrine;  that  he  afterwards 
repented  of  this  connection,  which  shows  that  it  must 
have  been  one  of  favor  and  advocacy;  and  that  he  had 
the  revelation  commanding  it  burned.  No  amount  of 
special  pleading  can  destroy  the  force  of  Sheen's  ad- 
mission; it  is  before  the  public  as  conclusive  proof  that 
even  the  Reorganizers,  in  the  early  days  of  their  move- 
ment, conceded  that  their  Prophet  was  connected  with 
the  doctrine  of  polygamy,  though  it  also  proves  that  they 
differed  from  the  Brighamites  in  the  claim  that  he  had 
repented  of  his  connection  with  it  before  his  death.1 

1  Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  examining  the 
first  six  volumes  of  the  True  Latter-day  Saints'  Herald,  which  I  have 
done  with  some  care,  and  nowhere  have  I  found  a  denial  that  Joseph 
Smith  taught  and  practiced  polygamy,  although  the  doctrine  itself  is  con- 
demned in  the  strongest  terms.  The  writers  for  this  paper  seem  to  have 
avoided  as  much  as  possible  any  reference  to  his  polygamous  teachings,  but 
where  they  have  referred  to  them  they  give  the  impression  that  they  be- 
lieved that  there  was  a  revelation  on  polygamy,  but  that  it  was  not  given 
to  the  church  as  a  body,  only  to  those  who  had  set  up  idols  in  their 
hearts,  in  agreement  with  Ezek.  14:7-11. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  155 

In  an  editorial  in  the  same  paper,  Sheen  says  of  the 
Mormon  people : 

This  adulterous  spirit  had  captivated  their  hearts  and  they 
desired  a  license  from  God  to  lead  away  captive  the  fair  daugh- 
ters of  His  people,  and  in  this  state  of  mind  they  came  to  the 
Prophet  Joseph.  Could  the  Lord  do  anything  more  or  less  than 
what  Ezekiel  hath  prophesied?  The  Lord  hath  declared  by 
Ezekiel  what  kind  of  an  answer  he  would  give  them,  therefore 
he  answered  them  according  to  the  multitude  of  their  idols. 
Paul  had  also  prophesied  that  "for  this  cause  God  shall  send  them 
strong  delusion,  that  they  should  believe  a  lie;  that  they  all 
might  be  damned  who  believed  not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure 
in  unrighteousness."  Both  these  prophesies  agree.  In  Ezekiel's 
prophecy  the  Lord  also  says,  "I  will  set  my  face  against 
that  man,  and  will  make  him  a  sign  and  a  proverb,  and  I  will 
cut  him  off  from  the  midst  of  my  people;  and  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord.  And  if  the  prophet  be  deceived  when  he 
hath  spoken  a  thing,  I  the  Lord  have  deceived  that  prophet, 
and  I  will  stretch  out  my  hand  upon  him  and  I  will  destroy  him 
from  the  midst  of  my  people  Israel.  And  they  shall  bear  the 
punishment  of  their  iniquity;  the  punishment  of  the  prophet 
shall  be  even  as  the  punishment  of  him  that  seeketh  unto  him; 
that  the  house  of  Israel  may  go  no  more  astray  from  me,  neither 
be  polluted  any  more  with  all  their  transgressions ;  but  that  they 
may  be  my  people,  and  I  may  be  their  God  saith  the  Lord  God," 
8c.,  llv.  We  have  here  the  facts  ac  they  have  transpired  and  as 
they  will  continue  to  transpire  in  relation  to  this  subject.  The 
death  of  the  prophet  is  one  fact  that  has  been  realized  although 
he  abhorred  and  repented  of  this  iniquity  before  his  death. 

Here  polygamy  is  called  an  "iniquity,"  and,  as  the 
Prophet  "repented"  of  it  before  his  death,  he  must  have 
been  at  some  time  in  his  career  guilty  of  either  advo- 
cating or  practicing  it,  or  both. 

ADMISSIONS  OF   WILLIAM    MARKS. 

William  Marks  was  born  in  Rutland,  Vermont,  No- 
vember 15,  1792.  Just  when  he  united  with  the  Mormon 
Church,  is  not  known,  but  he  is  prominently  mentioned 


156  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

as  early  as  1837,  in  which  year  he  was  chosen  a  mem- 
ber of  the  High  Council  at  Kirtland.  In  July,  1838,  he 
and  N.  K.  Whitney  were  commanded  to  remove  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  lived  until  the  Mormons  were  driven 
from  that  State,  when  he  went  to  Illinois.  He  was 
chosen  President  of  the  High  Council  at  Nauvoo  on 
October  3,  1839,  and  held  that  position  until  after  the 
Prophet's  death,  although  part  of  the  time  he  was  without 
the  latter 's  favor.  After  the  assassination  of  Smith, 
he  supported  the  claims  of  Rigdon  for  a  time,  but  finally 
dropped  him  and  threw  in  his  fortunes  with  the  polyga- 
mous Twelve,  as  the  following  will  show : 

NOTICE  ! ! ! 

After  mature  and  candid  c. liberation  I  am  fully  and  satis- 
factorily convinced  that  Mr.  Sidney  Rigdon's  claims  to  the 
Presidency  of  The  Church  o*  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints, 
are  not  founded  in  Truth.  I  have  been  deceived  by  his  specious 
pretenses,  and  now  feel  to  warn  every  one  over  whom  I  have 
any  influence  to  beware  of  him  and  his  pretended  visions  and 
revelations.  The  Twelve  are  the  proper  persons  to  lead  The 
Church.  WILLIAM  MARKS. 

NAUVOO,  Dec.  9,  1844. 

After  this,  however,  he  left  the  Twelve  and  became 
a  member  of  the  Strangite  faction,  but,  becoming  dissatis- 
fied, he  subsequently  renounced  Strang  and  threw  in  his 
fortunes,  for  a  time,  with  the  Baneemyites  under  Charles 
B.  Thompson.  He  next,  with  others,  started  an  inde- 
pendent faction,  but  this  soon  went  to  pieces.  As  a  last 
resort,  he  united  with  the  Reorganized  Church  on  June  n, 
1859,  and  the  year  following  assisted  at  the  ordination  of 
Joseph  Smith  to  the  First  Presidency,  to  whom  he  later 
became  First  Counselor. 

Having  had  ample  opportunity  to  know  what  was 
going  on  in  the  inner  circles  at  Nauvoo,  his  testimony  is 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  157 

of  very  great  importance.  In  a  letter,  dated  at  Shabbona, 
DeKalb  County,  Illinois,  October  23,  1859,  and  addressed 
to  Isaac  Sheen,  he  says: 

About  the  first  of  June,  1844  (situated  as  I  was  at  that  time, 
being  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  Stake  at  Nauvoo,  and  by  ap- 
pointment the  Presiding  Officer  of  the  High  Council),  I  had  a 
very  good  opportunity  to  know  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  and 
my  convictions  at  that  time  were,  that  the  Church  in  a  great 
measure  had  departed  from  the  pure  principles  and  doctrines  of 
Jesus  Christ.  I  felt  much  troubled  in  mind  about  the  condition 
of  the  Church.  I  prayed  earnestly  to  my  Heavenly  Father  to 
show  me  something  in  regard  to  it,  when  I  was  wrapt  in  vision, 
and  it  was  shown  me  by  the  Spirit,  that  the  top  or  branches 
had  overcome  the  root,  in  sin  and  wickedness,  and  the  only 
way  to  cleanse  and  purify  it  was,  to  disorganize  it,  and  in  due 
time,  the  Lord  would  reorganize  it  again.  There  were  many 
things  suggested  to  my  mind,  but  the  lapse  of  time  has  erased 
them  from  my  memory.  A  few  days  after  this  occurrence,  I 
met  with  Brother  Joseph.  He  said  that  he  wanted  to  converse 
with  me  on  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  and  we  retired  by  ourselves. 
I  will  give  his  words  verbatim,  for  they  are  indelibly  stamped 
upon  my  mind.  He  said  he  had  desired  for  a  long  time  to  have 
a  talk  with  me  on  the  subject  of  polygamy.  He  said  it  eventually 
would  prove  the  overthrow  of  the  Church,  and  we  should  soon 
be  obliged  to  leave  the  United  States,  unless  it  could  be  speedily 
put  down.  He  was  satisfied  that  it  was  a  cursed  doctrine,  and 
that  there  must  be  every  exertion  made  to  put  it  down.  He 
said  that  he  would  go  before  the  congregation  and  proclaim 
against  it,  and  I  must  go  into  the  High  Council,  and  he  would 
prefer  charges  against  those  in  transgression,  and  I  must  sever 
them  from  the  Church,  unless  they  made  ample  satisfaction. 
There  was  much  more  said,  but  this  was  the  substance.  The 
mob  commenced  to  gather  about  Carthage  in  a  few  days  after, 
therefore  there  was  nothing  done  concerning  it.  After  the 
Prophet's  death,  I  made  mention  of  this  conversation  to  several, 
hoping  and  believing  that  it  would  have  a  good  effect,  but  to 
my  great  disappointment,  it  was  soon  rumored  about  that  Brother 
Marks  was  about  to  apostatize,  and  that  all  that  he  said  about 
the  conversation  with  the  Prophet  was  a  tissue  of  lies. 


158  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Apostle  Heman  C.  Smith,  of  the  Reorganized  Church, 
in  his  "The  Truth  Defended,"  pages  181,  182,  says  on  the 
foregoing : 

The  purport  of  this  testimony  is : 

1.  That  Joseph  Smith  declared  it  (polygamy)  to  be  "a  cursed 
doctrine." 

2.  That  he  would  proclaim  against  it  in  the  public  congre- 
gation. 

3.  That   he   would   prefer   charges   against   those   in   trans- 
gression. 

4.  He  instructed  the  President  of  the  High  Council  to  "sever 
them  from  the  Church,  unless  they  made  ample  satisfaction." 

All  this  is  commendable  and  a  credit  to  Joseph  and  the 
church. 

It  is  not  very  probable  either,  that  Joseph  Smith  would 
publicly  proclaim  against  a  doctrine,  and  prefer  charges  against 
those  practicing  it,  when  he  himself  was  practicing  it,  and  it  was 
known  to  those  against  whom  he  was  proceeding. 

Let  the  reader  observe  that  Mr.  Smith  draws  the 
above  deductions  wholly  from  the  latter  part  of  Marks' 
letter;  they  do  not  cover  the  whole.  He  has  nothing  to 
say  about  "the  top  or  branches"  overcoming  "the  root 
in  sin  and  wickedness"  or  the  "long  time"  in  which  po- 
lygamy had  been  tolerated  (?)  in  a  church  of  which 
Joseph  was  the  Prophet,  Priest  and  King  and  in  a  city 
of  which  he  was  Mayor,  with  a  legion  back  of  him  of 
which  he  was  Lieutenant-General.  If  Joseph  Smith  had 
power,  on  the  ist  day  of  June,  1844,  to  put  down  po- 
lygamy, did  he  not  have  the  same  power  a  "long  time" 
before?  If  he  was  not  a  friend  to  this  doctrine  and 
practice,  why  did  he  tolerate  (?)  it  so  long,  until  it  threat- 
ened the  church  with  destruction  and  himself  with  death? 

The  deductions  of  Mr.  Smith  only  about  half  ex- 
plain the  situation.  The  facts  are  that  Joseph  had 
come  to  see  where  he  and  the  church  were  drifting,  and 
to  save  both  he  made  a  show  of  repentance  because  of 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  159 

which  he  could  with  apparent  consistency  proceed  against 
those  who,  like  he  himself  had  been,  were  in  transgres- 
sion. Marks  was  a  man  who  never  fell  in  with  polygamy, 
and  it  was  to  him  that  the  Prophet  came  with  his  con- 
fession, hoping  thereby  to  save  himself  and  the  church 
from  ruin. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Zion's  Harbinger  and  Baneemy's 
Organ  of  July,  1853,  Marks  gives  a  slightly  different  ver- 
sion of  his  conversation  with  Joseph  to  that  given  in  his 
letter  to  Isaac  Sheen.  He  says: 

During  my  administration  in  the  Church  I  saw  and  heard 
of  many  things  that  was  practiced  and  taught  that  I  did  not 
believe  to  be  of  God;  but  I  continued  to  do  and  teach  such 
principles  as  were  plainly  revealed,  as  the  law  of  the  Church, 
for  I  thought  that  pure  and  holy  principles  only  would  have 
a  tendency  to  benefit  mankind.  Therefore  when  the  doctrine  of 
polygamy  was  introduced  into  the  Church  as  a  principle  of 
exaltation,  I  took  a  decided  stand  against  it ;  which  stand  rendered 
me  quite  unpopular,  with  many  of  the  leading  ones  of  the 
Church.  I  was  also  witness  of  the  introduction  (secretly)  of  a 
kingly  form  of  government,  in  which  Joseph  suffered  himself 
to  be  ordained  a  king,  to  reign  over  the  house  of  Israel  forever ; 
which  I  could  not  conceive  to  be  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
of  the  Church,  but  I  did  not  oppose  this  move,  thinking  it  none 
of  my  business. 

Joseph,  however,  became  convinced  before  his  death  that  he 
had  done  wrong;  for  about  three  weeks  before  his  death,  I  met 
him  one  morning  in  the  street,  and  he  said  to  me,  "Bro.  Marks, 
I  have  something  to  communicate  to  you,"  we  retired  to  a  byplace, 
and  sat  down  together,  when  he  said :  "We  are  a  ruined  people." 
I  asked,  how  so?  he  said:  "This  doctrine  of  polygamy,  or 
spiritual-wife  system,  that  has  been  taught  and  practiced  among 
us,  will  prove  our  destruction  and  overthrow.  I  have  been  de- 
ceived," said  he,  "in  reference  to  its  practice;  it  is  wrong;  it  is 
a  curse  to  mankind,  and,  we  shall  have  to  leave  the  United 
States  soon,  unless  it  can  be  put  down,  and  its  practice  stopped 
in  the  Church.  Now,"  said  he,  "Bro.  Marks,  you  have  not  re- 
ceived this  doctrine,  and  how  glad  I  am.  I  want  you  to  go  into 


160  THE   TRUh   ORIGIN   OF 

the  high  council,  and  I  will  have  charges  preferred  against  all 
who  practice  this  doctrine;  and  I  want  you  to, try  them  by  the 
laws  of  the  Church,  and  cut  them  off,  if  they  will  not  repent, 
and  cease  the  practice  of  this  doctrine ;  and,"  he  said,  "I  will  go 
into  the  stand  and  preach  against  it,  with  all  my  might,  and  in 
this  way,  we  may  rid  the  Church  of  this  damnable  heresy." 

If  polygamy  was  introduced  into  the  church  "as  a 
principle  of  exaltation,"  who  introduced  it?  There  can 
be  but  one  answer — Joseph  Smith. 

From  the  two  letters  of  William  Marks,  we  draw 
the  following  deductions: 

1.  The   "top   or   branches/*   having   "overcome   the 
root  in  sin  and  wickedness,"  polygamy  was  introduced 
"as  a  principle  of  exaltation"  and  was  both  "taught  and 
practiced." 

2.  This  principle,  on  June  i,  1844,  had  been  in  the 
church  "for  a  long  time." 

3.  Joseph  on  that  date  had  become  convinced  "that 
he  had  done  wrong"  and  had  been  "deceived." 

4.  He  stated  that  it  was  a  "cursed  doctrine"  and  a 
"damnable  heresy"  that  would  have  to  be  put  down  or 
the  church  would  have  to  leave  the  United  States.    And 

5.  He   said   that   he   would   go   into   the   stand   and 
preach  against  it,  and  he  ordered  Marks  to  sever  from  the 
church  those  who  would  not  repent. 

The  evident  import  of  these  two  letters  is,  that 
Joseph  Smith,  being  influenced  by  certain  wicked  and 
designing  men,  introduced  into  the  Mormon  Church  the 
doctrine  and  practice  of  polygamy;  that,  after  a  long 
time,  the  opposition  which  was  caused  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  this  principle  became  so  bitter  that  it  threatened 
to  disrupt  and  destroy  the  church ;  that  the  Prophet,  fore- 
seeing the  impending  storm,  became  alarmed,  repented  of 
his  connection  with  it  and  acknowledged  his  mistake; 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  161 

and  that,  having  done  this,  he  began  laying  plans  to 
cleanse  his  church  by  casting  out  of  it  those  who  would 
not  follow  his  example  and  give  up  their  sinful  prac- 
tices. It  may  be  charitable  to  say  that,  had  the  Prophet 
lived  and  had  the  opportunity,  the  latter  might  have  been 
the  program. 

ADMISSIONS   OF   JASON    W.    BRIGGS. 

Jason  W.  Briggs,  while  on  the  stand  in  the  Temple- 
lot  Suit,  admitted  that  he  had  heard  of  a  revelation  on 
polygamy,  or  plural  marriage,  before  the  death  of  the 
Mormon  Prophet.  He  says: 

I  heard  something  about  a  revelation  on  polygamy,  or  plural 
marriage,  when  I  was  in  Nauvoo,  in  1842.  I  heard  there  was 
one :  there  was  talk  going  on  about  it  at  that  time,  and  continued 
to  be;  but  it  was  not  called  plural  marriage;  it  was  called 
sealing. 

I  was  asked  in  my  direct  examination  if  I  did  not  hear  of 
the  doctrine  of  polygamy,  etc.,  and  I  answered  that  I  talked  with 
members  with  reference  to  stealing,  and  I  understood  that  the 
doctrine  of  sealing,  was  for  eternity;  it  was  sealing  a  man's  wife 
to  him  for  eternity,  or  wives  either.1 — Record,  pp.  349,  505. 

On  February  13,  1888,  Mr.  Briggs,  writing  from 
Wheeler,  Iowa,  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr.  J.  T.  Clark, 
part  of  which,  relating  to  the  origin  of  the  "Revelation 
'on  Celestial  Marriage,"  is  as  follows: 

BRO.  J.  T.  CLARK:— Yours  of  late  date  duly  received.  The 
excessive  cold  weather  and  some  ill  health  has  prevented  my  writ- 
ing sooner.  The  experiences  at  Nauvoo  and  Independence  were 
characteristic  of  the  times  and  places  named.  I  was  at  Nauvoo 

1  In  his  "Diary,"  Joseph  says  of  marriage,  or  sealing,  for  eternity: 
"Except  a  man  and  his  wife  enter  into  an  everlasting  covenant  and  be 
married  for  eternity,  while  in  this  probation,  by  the  power  and  authority 
of  the  Priesthood,  they  will  cease  to  increase  when  they  die;  that  is,  they 
will  not  have  any  children  after  the  resurrection.  But  those  who  are 
married  by  the  power  and  authority  of  the  Priesthood  in  this  life,  and 
continue  without  committing  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  will  continue 
to  increase  and  have  children  in  celestial  glory."— Millennial  Star,  Vol. 
XXI.,  p.  1 08. 


162  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

in  1843,  the  year  it  was  found  necessary  to  legalize  polygamy 
by  a  revelation.  No,  I  have  no  doubt  as  to  the  authorship  of  that 
(so-called)  revelation  of  July  12,  1843.  It  has  all  the  ear- 
marks to  identify  it  as  the  production  of  the  mouthpiece1  of  those 
days.  William,  the  only  surviving  brother,  got  up  a  similar  one 
(at  Palestine  near  Amboy)  in  1851.  I  united  with  the  church 
at  Potosi,  Grant  Co.,  Wisconsin,  in  1841.  The  following  year 
I  settled  near  Beloit,  Rock  Co.,  Wisconsin,  where  I  raised  up  a 
branch  in  1843.  When  the  Twelve  assumed  the  leadership  in 
1844,  we  gave  a  nominal  adherence  to  them  until  the  spring 
of  1846,  when  we,  as  a  branch,  rejected  them  and  accepted 
James  J.  Strang  as  the  true  successor,  on  the  authority  of  the 
letter  of  appointment  from  Joseph  Smith — but  polygamy  and 
other  kindred  teachings  and  practices  cropping  out,  we  dropped 
Strang,  and  in  1850-51  accepted  William  Smith  as  the  suc- 
cessor, so  so; — but  in  less  than  one  year  he  exhibited  the 
cloven  foot  and  boomed  polygamy  afresh  in  the  name  of  God 
and  his  brother  Joseph. — Published  in  the  Return  (Whitmerite 
paper),  December  i,  1895. 

ADMISSION   OF    W.    W.    BLAIR. 

William  W.  Blair,  one  of  the  early  leaders  of  the 
Reorganization,  serving  first  in  the  capacity  of  Apostle 
and  afterwards  as  First  Counselor  to  the  President, 
Joseph  Smith,  the  present  Prophet,  made  the  following 
admission,  relative  to  the  existence  of  the  "Revelation 
on  Celestial  Marriage,"  in  the  True  Latter-day  Saints' 
Herald  of  March,  1860  (p.  64)  : 

The  plurality-wife  revelation  was  never  given  unto  the 
church  by  Joseph,  and  when  it  was  made  public,  the  first 
organization  of  the  church  had  ceased.  The  church  had  been  re- 
jected of  God,  and  counterfeit  churches  under  the  direction  of 
greedy  wolves  had  supplanted  the  true  church.  The  church 
was  not  commanded  to  give  heed  unto  revelations  which  were 

1  "Wherefore,  meaning  the  church,  thou  shalt  give  heed  unto  all  his 
words  and  commandments,  which  he  shall  give  unto  you,  as  he  receiveth 
them,  walking  in  all  holiness  before  me;  for  his  word  ye  shall  receive,  as 
if  from  mine  own  mouth,  in  all  patience  and  faith." — Revelation  concern- 
ing Smith,  "Doctrine  and  Covenants,"  Sec.  19,  par.  2. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  163 

not  given  unto  them,  but  only  those  which  Joseph  gave  unto 
them,  and  as  that  revelation  was  withheld  from  the  church, 
and  was  repudiated  and  denounced  by  him,  and  as  it  was  only 
intended  for  those,  who  (according  to  the  prophecy  of  Ezekiel), 
had  "set  up  their  idols  in  their  hearts,"  therefore  the  church  was 
not  commanded  to  receive  it.  The  Lord  knowing  that  Joseph 
would  never  give  any  revelation  unto  the  church  that  was 
contrary  to  the  mind  and  will,  and  holy  law  of  God,  therefore 
he  commanded  the  church  to  "give  heed  unto  all  his  words  and 
commandments,"  otherwise  he  could  not  consistently  with  his  love 
for  the  saints  have  given  them  such  a  commandment,  for  their 
future  observance,  to  be  a  law  unto  them,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  organization  of  the  church. 

In  the  foregoing,  Mr.  Blair  admits  that  the  "plurality- 
wife  revelation"  was  in  existence  before  Smith's  death, 
as  it  "was  repudiated  and  denounced  by  him;"  but,  he 
tells  us,  that  it  was  not  given  to  the  church,  as  a  body, 
only  to  those  who  had,  in  fulfillment  of  Ezek.  14:  7,  "set 
up  their  idols  in  their  hearts."  But,  no  matter  to  whom 
it  was  given,  if  that  revelation  existed,  as  admitted,  it 
proves  Joseph  Smith  guilty  of  teaching  the  doctrine  of 
polygamy,  frees  Brigham  Young  from  the  stigma  of  be- 
ing the  author  of  this  revelation,  and  gives  it  a  birth  some 
years  anterior  to  the  date  commonly  fixed  upon  by  the 
Josephites  of  to-day. 

ADMISSIONS   OF   THE   ROBINSONS. 

Ebenezer  Robinson  united  with  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  on  the  i6th  of  October,  1835, 
the  same  year  being  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Angeline 
Works.  In  1838,  he  became  clerk  of  the  High  Council, 
and  in  November,  1839,  he  and  Don  Carlos  Smith  became 
joint  editors  of  the  Times  and  Seasons,  he  continuing 
with  that  paper,  except  for  a  short  time,  up  to  February, 
1842.  After  the  death  of  Smith,  he  united  with  the 
Rigdonites  and  became  Sidney  Rigdon's  Second  Coun- 


164  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

selor,  but,   subsequently,   left  them   and  afterwards,  in 
1863,  joined  the  Reorganization,  in  which  he  was  or- 
dained a  High  Priest  in  April,  1866.     Sometime  later, 
he  and  his  wife  made  the  following  affidavits : 
To  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN: 

We,  Ebenezer  Robinson  and  Angeline  Robinson,  husband 
and  wife,  hereby  certify  that  in  the  fall  of  1843  Hyrum  Smith, 
brother  of  Joseph  Smith,  came  to  our  house  in  Nauvoo,  Illinois, 
and  taught  us  the  doctrine  of  polygamy.  And  I,  the  said  Ebenezer 
Robinson,  hereby  further  state  that  he  gave  me  special  instruc- 
tions how  I  could  manage  the  matter  so  as  not  to  have  it  known 
to  the  public.  He  also  told  us  that  while  he  had  heretofore 
opposed  the  doctrine,  he  was  wrong  and  his  brother  Joseph  was 
right;  referring  to  his  teaching  it.  EBENEZER  ROBINSON. 

ANGELINE  E.  ROBINSON. 

Sworn  to  and  subscribed  before  me  this  2Qth  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1873.  J.  M.  SALLEE,  Notary  Public. 

(L.  S.) 
To  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN  : 

This  is  to  certify  that  in  the  latter  part  of  November,  or  in 
December,  1843,  Hyrum  Smith  (brother  of  Joseph  Smith,  Pres- 
ident of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints) 
came  to  my  house  in  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  and  taught  me  the 
doctrine  of  spiritual  wives  or  polygamy. 

He  said  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  give  the  revelation 
on  spiritual  wifery  (polygamy)  to  his  brother  Joseph,  and  that 
while  he  had  heretofore  opposed  the  doctrine,  he  was  wrong, 
and  his  brother  Joseph  was  right  all  the  time. 

He  told  me  to  make  a  selection  of  some  young  woman 
and  he  would  cend  her  to  me,  and  take  her  to  my  home,  and 
if  she  should  have  an  heir,  to  give  out  the  word  that  she  had 
a  husband  who  had  gone  on  a  mission  to  a  foreign  country. 
He  seemed  disappointed  when  I  declined  to  do  so. 

E.  ROBINSON. 
DAVIS  CITY,  Iowa,  October  23,  1885. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  a  Notary  Public  in  and 
for  Decatur  County,  Iowa,  this  24th  day  of  October,  A.  D. 
1885.  Z.  H.  GURLEY,,  Notary  Public. 

(L.   S.) 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  165 

D.  H.  Bays  introduces  these  affidavits  in  his  "Doc- 
trines and  Dogmas  of  Mormonism,"  and  says,  further, 
that  Robinson  assured  him  in  1865  that  he  knew  more 
about  the  early  days  of  the  church  than  he  cared  at  that 
time  to  disclose.  In  his  reply  to  Bays,  "The  Truth  De- 
fended," pages  190,  191,  Apostle  Heman  C.  Smith  tries 
to  overthrow  this  testimony. 

He  says,  in  the  first  place,  that  "these  statements, 
if  true,  implicate  no  one  but  Hyrum  Smith/'  While  it 
is  true  that  they  implicate  no  one  directly  but  Hyrum 
Smith,  it  is  also  true  that  indirectly  they  implicate  Joseph. 
Robinson  tells  us  what  Hyrum  said,  that  much  is  estab- 
lished by  the  testimony,  and  as  Hyrum  was  the  brother 
of  Joseph  and  was  one  of  his  most  confidential  advisers, 
one  of  two  things  is  true:  either  he  lied  about  Joseph 
or  else  the  latter  did  advocate  polygamy.  Let  the 
Josephites  fall  on  either  horn  of  the  dilemma  that  they 
may  choose. 

The  second  objection  that  Mr.  Smith  urges  against 
the  foregoing  statements,  is  that  Robinson  and  his  wife 
"were  associated  with  the  Reorganization  for  many  years, 
right  at  the  time  when  representatives  of  the  church  from 
pulpit  and  press  were  demanding  evidence  that  polygamy 
was  taught  by  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  and  they  were 
as  silent  as  the  tomb,  until  they  became  disaffected,  and 
in  various  ways  tried  to  destroy  the  fair  fame  of  the 
church  and  its  founders."  But,  according  to  the  state- 
ment of  Bays,  Robinson  was  not  "as  silent  as  the  tomb" 
in  1865  when  he  told  him  that  "he  knew  more  about 
those  early  days  than  he  then  wished  to  disclose,  but  that 
he  intended  at  some  future  time  to  make  a  statement  of 
facts  as  he  knew  them  to  exist,"  and  if  I  am  not  mis- 
informed it  was  the  very  claim  that  he  makes  in  his 


166  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

affidavits  which  was  one  of  the  reasons  why  he  was  not  in 
harmony  with  the  Reorganization.1 

Lastly,  Mr.  Smith  objects  to  the  testimony  of  the 
Robinsons  on  the  score  that  it  conflicts  with  other  testi- 
mony given  by  Mr.  Bays. 

It  will  be  observed  that  these  witnesses  claim  that  this 
interview  with  Hyrum  Smith  took  place  in  the  fall  of  1843 — No- 
vember or  December— and  that  he  then  said  "he  had  heretofore 
opposed  the  doctrine ;"  while  three  of  Bays'  witnesses ;  viz. :  Mrs. 
Thompson  (p.  171),  Leonard  Soby  (p.  1/4),  and  David  Fullmer 
(P-  i?S)»  declare  that  Hyrum  Smith  read  the  revelation  and 
indorsed  the  doctrine  on  the  I2th  of  August  before.  Bays  should 
notice  that  his  witnesses  condemn  each  other. 

Now,  I  may  be  blind,  but  I  can  not  see  the  force  of 
this  argument.  These  witnesses  do  not  contradict  one 
another,  but  are  in  perfect  agreement.  In  his  affidavit, 
Robinson  says  that  Hyrum  said  "he  heard  the  voice  of 
the  Lord  give  the  revelation  on  spiritual  wifery  (polyga- 
my) to  his  brother  Joseph,  and  that  while  he  had  hereto- 
fore (before  July  12,  1843)  opposed  the  doctrine,  he  was 
wrong,  and  his  brother  Joseph  was  right  all  the  time." 
Mr.  Smith  makes  his  mistake  by  supposing  that  "here- 
tofore" means  before  "the  latter  part  of  November,  or 
in  December,  1843,"  whereas  it  means  before  July  12, 

1  In  the  Return  of  January,  1889,  Robinson  says  of  his  opposition  to 
Certain  teachings  of  the  Reorganized  Church:  "United  with  the  Reorgan- 
ized Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  April,  1863,  having 
been  acquainted  with  it  for  several  years.  Protested  from  the  first  against 
some  of  its  practices  and  teachings.  Was  baptized  into  the  church  of 
Christ  (Whitmerites)  on  the  i3th  day  of  April,  1888,  by  Elder  John  C. 
Whitmer,  of  Richmond,  Mo."  As  Robinson  made  his  first  affidavit  in 
1873  and  did  not  leave  the  Reorganization  until  1888,  be  stands  as 
publicly  charging  that  the  Smiths  taught  polygamy  at  Nauvoo  for  fifteen 
years  while  a  Josephite.  So,  for  fifteen  years,  while  associated  with  that 
church,  Robinson  was  not  "as  silent  as  the  tomb"  on  the  origin  of 
polygamy,  and  it  was  not  after  he  left  that  church  that  he  began  to  charge 
this  on  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  but  before — fifteen  years  before,  and  right 
at  the  very  time,  too,  "when  representatives  of  the  church  from  pulpit  and 
press  were  demanding  evidence  that  polygamy  was  taught"  by  these  men. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  167 

1843,  the  date  on  which  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Mar- 
riage" is  said  to  have  been  received.  And  this  explanation 
agrees  with  the  facts  as  we  know  them.  When  Udney 
Jacobs'  pamphlet  was  published  in  the  fall  of  1842,  Hyrum 
Smith,  according  to  John  D.  Lee,  was  very  much  opposed 
to  it  and  denounced  polygamy  as  "from  beneath;"  on  the 
1 2th  of  July  following,  he  was  very  favorable  to  it,  ac- 
cording to  William  Clayton,  and  said  that  he  could  con- 
vince any  reasonable  man  or  woman  of  the  truthfulness 
of  the  "Revelation,"  and  this  agrees  with  what  Hyrum 
told  Robinson  that  he  had,  on  that  date,  heard  the  voice 
of  the  Lord  and  had  been  converted  to  the  doctrine  of 
polygamy;  on  the  I2th  of  August  he  read  the  "Revela- 
tion" to  the  High  Council,  as  claimed  by  Mrs.  Thompson,. 
Fullmer  and  Soby,  and  again  expressed  himself  as  favor- 
able to  it;  and  later  he  had  the  conversation  with  the 
Robinsons  given  in  their  affidavits,  at  which  time  he  also 
favored  it.  Where  do  these  "witnesses  condemn  each 
other"? 

ADMISSION    OF    JUSTUS    MORSE. 

The  original  of  the  following  affidavit  was  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Zenas  H.  Gurley, 
of  Canton,  Missouri,  but  has  recently  been  turned  over 
by  him  to  R.  B.  Neal,  of  Pikeville,  Kentucky.  While 
Mr.  Morse  was  not  a  leader  among  the  Josephites,  he 
was  a  member  of  their  church,  which  makes  his  testi- 
mony most  important.  It  plainly  shows  that  polygamy 
was  strongly  intrenched  at  Nauvoo  as  early  as  1842, 
which  never  could  have  been  had  Joseph  Smith  been  op- 
posed to  it.  Although  this  affidavit  covers  more  ground 
than  we  have  been  considering,  as  it  plainly  shows  that 
Joseph  Smith  was  guilty  of  a  number  of  things  denied 
by  the  Josephites,  I  give  it  in  full. 


168  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

To  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN  : 

This  is  to  certify  that  in  the  year  1833,  I  was  made  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  and 
have  been  a  member  in  fellowship  since  then,  uniting  with  the 
Reorganized  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints  in  the 
beginning  of  the  year  of  1870.  Held  the  offices  of  an  Elder,  of 
Seventy,  and  of  High  Priest,  in  the  first  Church  under.  Joseph 
Smith,  the  founder,  and  the  office  of  an  Elder  and  of  High 
Priest,  which  last  I  now  hold  in  the  Reorganization,  of  which 
Joseph  Smith,  the  second,  is  President. 

In  the  year  1834,  I  was  numbered  with  the  "Camp  of  Zion" 
— or  "Zion's  Camp,"  numbering  some  233  men,  who  were  led 
by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  according  to  Revelation  into  the 
State  of  Missouri,  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  "Zion"  (the 
lands  previously  purchased  of  the  Government  by  members 
of  the  Church).  I  was  chosen  with  nine  others  out  of  the 
"Camp"  as  sharp  shooters.  The  whole  company  were  armed 
with  guns,  pistols  and  knives,  and  we  expected  to  deliver  said 
"lands"  from  the  mob  who  occupied  them,  and  to  avenge  the 
Lord  on  His  enemies  as  provided  in  the  Prophet's  revelations — 
but  the  latter  part  of  June  (the  22nd  day  I  believe),  of  the 
year  1834  aforesaid  we  were  visited  by  the  Sheriff  of  Clay 
County,  Missouri,  we  having  camped  on  what  is  known  as 
Fishing  River,  who  wished  to  know  the  object  and  purpose  we 
had  in  coming  into  the  State  as  an  armed  body  of  men — where- 
upon the  Prophet  receiving  another  revelation,  that  we  had  been 
"brought  thus  far  as  a  trial  of  our  faith,  etc.,"  we  disbanded, 
some  settling  in  Missouri,  others  returning  to  their  homes  in  the 
eastern  states. 

In  the  year  1838,  at  Far  West,  Caldwell  County,  Missouri, 
I  was  made  a  Danite,  in  an  organized  meeting  for  that  purpose 
in  a  schoolhouse  at  that  place.  Brother  Dr.  Sampson  Avard  had 
charge  in  organizing  this  Band,  divided  into  tens,  fifties,  and 
hundreds — Joseph  Smith,  Sydney  Rigdon,  and  Hyrum  Smith  were 
present  frequently  at  our  meetings  and  were  cognizant  of  what 
was  going  on,  being  present  at  our  secret  meetings  when  a  guard 
were  placed  around  us  admitting  none  but  members,  excepting 
the  said  Joseph  Smith,  Sydney  Rigdon,  and  Hyrum  Smith — I 
further  state  that  in  company  with  nine  others  of  the  Danites 
I  was  taken  not  far  away  from  Far  West,  in  a  deep  ravine,  in 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  169 

the  year  1838,  aforesaid,  and  with  a  guard  around  us  on  the 
high  ground  to  prevent  interruption  or  being  heard,  was  there 
taught  and  instructed  by  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon  and 
Hyrum  Smith,  that  the  Church  could  not  advance  without  means, 
and  we  must  obtain,  must  get  money  and  means  to  carry  on 
the  work  whether  right  or  wrong,  honest  or  dishonest — that 
the  Church  should  "suck  the  milk  of  the  Gentiles,"  that  we  had 
been  injured  by  the  mob  in  Missouri,  and  to  take  from  the 
Gentiles  was  no  sin,  but  should  we  get  caught  in  this  work 
then  in  that  case,  we  were  to  stand  by  each  other  and  help  each 
other  out  of  trouble  at  any  cost  or  hazard,  and  the  said  Hyrum 
Smith  particularly  emphasized,  that  if  we  found  it  necessary 
in  helping  each  other  out  of  trouble  to  swear  to  a  lie,  to  do  so, 
and  to  do  it  with  such  positiveness  and  assurance  that  no  one 
would  question  our  testimony.  Shortly  after  these  events,  the 
troubles  increased  between  the  Saints,  and  the  mob,  finishing 
with  the  expulsion  of  the  Saints,  in  1839,  from  the  State; 
prior  to  our  expulsion  and  during  our  troubles,  Joseph  Smith, 
Sydney  Rigdon,  and  other  leaders  of  the  Church  were  incarcera- 
ted in  Liberty  Jail,  Clay  County,  Mo.  While  there  several  epis- 
tles were  sent  by  the  Prophet  to  the  brethren,  in  one  of  which 
he  refers  to  the  organization  of  "bands  or  companies,  by  cove- 
nant or  oaths,  by  penalties  or  secrecies,"  etc.,  suggesting  their 
"impropriety" — this  news  was  received  with  thankfulness  by  me 
as  it  took  a  great  burden  off  of  my  mind,  for  I  felt  it  my  duty  to 
obey  the  heads  of  the  Church  in  all  matters — but  to  my  sorrow 
this  hope  proved  fallacious,  for  in  the  year  1841  or  2,  Danite 
brethren  came  to  my  house  in  McDonough  County,  Illinois, 
and  asked  me  to  secrete  goods  which  they  had  taken  from  a 
store,  one  of  whom  stated  to  me  when  and  how,  they  had  "sucked 
the  milk  of  the  Gentiles"  by  robbing  this  store.  I  refused  to  ac- 
commodate them  at  this  time,  and  they  never  forgave  me  up  to 
the  time  of  their  death,  dying  in  full  faith.  And  I  further  state 
as  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  this  and  similar  practices  was 
continued  by  members  of  the  Church  during  the  remainder  of 
their  stay  at  Nauvoo. 

I   further  state  that  in  the  year   1842,  at  Nauvoo,   Illinois, 
Elder  Amasa  Lyman,  taught  me  the  doctrine  of  sealing,  or  mar- 
rying for  eternity,  called  spiritual  wifery,  and  that  within  one 
year   from  that  date  my  own  wife  and  another  woman  were 
(12) 


170  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

sealed  to  me  for  eternity  in  Macedonia,  by  father  John  Smith, 
uncle  to  the  Prophet.  This  woman  was  the  wife  of  another 
man,  but  was  to  be  mine  in  eternity — and  the  said  father  John 
Smith,  also  taught  me  that  if  an  unmarried  woman  was  sealed 
to  me  that  she  was  mine  for  time  as  well  as  eternity  and  that  I 
was  not  limited  as  to  number. 

In  the  years  1843-4,  at  Macedonia,  Illinois,  father  John  Smith 
aforesaid,  instructed  me  in  the  things  of  the  kingdom,  and 
stated  that  Joseph  fearing  he  would  be  killed  before  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Endowment  were  given,  had  given  Endowment  to 
twenty-four  of  the  priesthood,  with  their  wives  at  Nauvoo,  111. 
And  having  been  shown  the  Endowment  Garment,  and  Robe, 
by  father  John  Smith,  at  the  time  aforesaid,  and  subsequently 
at  Nauvoo,  and  in  Utah  having  seen  their  Endowment  Garments 
and  Robes — I  testify  and  say  that  to  all  appearnce  of  style  they 
are  identical  with  those  shown  me  by  the  said  father  John 
Smith. 

In  the  years  1843  and  4,  Elder  Amasa  Lyman  and  father 
John  Smith  again  taught  me  the  doctrine  of  spiritual  wifery 
or  polygamy,  and  in  the  years  1845  and  6  Brigham  Young  and 
Heber  C.  Kimball  taught  me  the  doctrine  also,  and  this  doctrine 
was  commonly  talked,  discussed  and  argued  among  the  Saints 
during  these  years,  especially  was  this  the  practice  among  those 
who  were  able  to  stand  strong  meat. 

In  May,  1844,  was  sent  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  to 
Ohio,  and  instructed  by  him  and  councilors  to  electioneer  and 
work  for  Joseph's  election  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United 
States,  was  thoroughly  provided  with  papers  and  documents 
showing  the  Prophet's  views  on  Government,  etc.  Just  before 
getting  on  board  the  boat  in  Nauvoo,  111.,  was  blessed  by  the 
Prophet  at  the  water's  edge  and  promised  great  blessings  on 
my  mission,  and  especially  instructed  to  maintain  his  character 
against  all  calumnies,  which  thing  I  was  bound  to  do  under 
any  and  all  circumstances  and  to  sustain  him,  because  of  my 
oath  as  a  Danite. 

I  am  now  just  turning  seventy-eight  years.  And  after  fifty- 
four  years  of  experience  in  the  Church  as  aforesaid,  and  seeing 
now  the  errors  and  wrongs  of  the  past  committed  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  by  the  Prophet  and  his  people,  and  while  I  still  believe 
that  Joseph  Smith  was  called  of  God,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  give 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  171 

and  make  this  statement  that  whoever  reads  these  lines  that  they 
may  be  benefited  by  them,  and  take  heed  and  be  wise,  and 
never  follow  any  man,  excepting  those  who  follow  Christ,  ac- 
cepting no  man  as  an  exemplar  no,  none  but  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  for,  I  do  not  know  as  I  testify,  that  men  who  are 
recognized  and  noticed  in  the  revelations  of  Joseph  Smith  in 
the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  as  men  of  God,  were  Danites  and 
practiced  the  obligations  of  their  oaths  at  the  selfsame  time. 

JUSTUS   MORSE. 

PLEASANTON,  Iowa,  March  23,  1887. 

Witness:—  S.  Beach. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  a  Notary  Public  in  and 
for  Decatur  County,  Iowa,  this  24th  day  of  March,  1887. 

(Seal)  ROYAL  RICHARDSON,  Notary  Public. 

STATE  OF  KENTUCKY, 


County  of  Pike.          S! 

I,  W.  B.  Taylor,  Clerk  of  the  Pike  County  Court  for 
the  County  and  State  aforesaid,  certify  that  the  foregoing  is  a 
true  and  correct  copy  of  an  original  affidavit  produced  to  me 
by  Rev.  R.  B.  Neal,  of  Pikeville,  Pike  County,  Kentucky,  of 
Justus  Morse,  an  Elder  and  High  Priest  of  The  Reorganized 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints.  Given  under  my 
hand  and  seal  of  office  this  22nd  day  of  December,  1909. 
(Seal)  W.  B.  TAYLOR,  Clerk  Pike  County  Court. 


172  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Mormon  Denials  Examined — The  Denials  of  Bennett's  Charges 
— The  Denials  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith — The  Denials 
of  the  Charges  of  Sidney  Rigdon — The  Denial  of  John 
Taylor — The  Purported  Denials  of  Emma  Smith. 

Denials  have  at  different  times  been  made  to  the 
charge  that  Joseph  Smith  and  the  Mormon  people  taught 
and  practiced  polygamy.  The  most  important  of  these 
are  the  ones  made  by  certain  individuals  at  Nauvoo  to 
Bennett's  charges  in  October,  1842;  those  of  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  Smith  in  the  Times  and  Seasons  of  1844;  those 
of  different  individuals  to  the  charges  of  Rigdon  in  1844 
and  1845 :  that  of  John  Taylor  in  a  debate  at  Boulogne- 
sur-mer,  in  France,  in  1850;  and  the  purported  denials  of 
Emma  Smith  said  to  have  been  made  in  1867  and  1879. 
The  Josephites  grasp  at  these  like  a  drowning  man  grasps 
at  a  straw,  contending  that  they  prove  that  Joseph  Smith 
not  only  did  not  teach  and  practice,  but  openly  condemned, 
polygamy,  and  that  this  doctrine  was  not  an  original 
tenet  of  the  church. 

But  these  denials  are  stated  in  such  ambiguous  lan- 
guage that  they  leave  the  impression  that  they  were  in- 
tended, simply,  to  silence  the  suspicions  of  the  Gentiles, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  did  not  necessarily  deny  the 
practices  of  the  Mormons. 

It  is  my  purpose,  in  this  chapter,  to  examine  these 
denials  to  ascertain  just  how  far  they  go  to  sustain  the 
Josephite  position,  and  to  uncover  the  corruption  and 
wickedness  that  they  have  been  made  so  long  to  conceal 
from  the  eyes  of  the  casual  and  uncritical  reader. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  173 

THE  DENIALS  OF  BENNETT'S  CHARGES. 

In  the  Times  and  Sea-sons  of  October  i,  1842,  Joseph 
Smith  replied  to  the  charges  of  John  C.  Bennett.  He 
first  quoted  the  following  rule  of  marriage  from  the 
"Doctrine  and  Covenants": 

Marriage  should  be  celebrated  with  prayer  and  thanksgiv- 
ing; and  at  the  solemnization,  the  persons  to  be  married,  stand- 
ing together,  the  man  on  the  right,  and  the  woman  on  the  left, 
shall  be  addressed  by  the  person  officiating,  as  he  shall  be 
directed  by  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  if  there  be  no  legal  objections, 
he  shall  say,  calling  each  by  their  names:  "You  both  mutually 
agree  to  be  each  other's  companion,  husband  and  wife,  observ- 
ing the  legal  rights  belonging  to  this  condition;  that  is,  keeping 
yourselves  wholly  for  each  other,  and  from  all  others,  during 
your  lives."  And  when  they  have  answered  "Yes,"  he  shall 
pronounce  them  "husband  and  wife"  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  by  virtue  of  the  laws  of  the  country  and 
authority  vested  in  him:  "May  God  add  His  blessings  and 
keep  you  to  fulfill  your  covenants  from  henceforth  and  forever. 
Amen." 

He  then  said : 

We  have  given  the  above  rule  of  marriage  as  the  only  one 
practiced  in  the  church,  to  show  that  Dr.  J.  C.  Bennett's  secret- 
wife  system  is  a  matter  of  his  own  manufacture;  and  further, 
to  disabuse  the  public  ear  and  to  show  that  the  said  Bennett  and 
his  misanthropic  friend,  Origen  Bachelor,  are  perpetrating  a 
foul  and  infamous  slander  upon  an  innocent  people,  and  need  but 
be  known  to  be  hated  and  despised. 

With  this  denial  of  Joseph  Smith,  appeared  two  cer- 
tificates from  residents  of  Nauvoo,  as  follows : 

We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  and  residents  of  the  city  of  Nauvoo, 
persons  of  families,  do  hereby  certify  and  declare  that  we  know 
of  no  other  rule  or  system  of  marriage  than  the  one  published 
from  the  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  and  we  give  this 
certificate  to  show  that  Dr.  John  C.  Bennett's  secret-wife  system 


174  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

is  a  creature  of  his  own  make,  as  we  know  of  no  such  society 
in  this   place,   nor  never  did. 

S.  BENNETT.  N.  K.  WHITNEY. 

GEORGE  MILLER.  ALBERT  PERRY. 

ALPHEUS  CUTLER.  ELIAS  HIGBEE. 

REYNOLDS  CAHOON.  JOHN  TAYLOR. 

WILSON  LAW.  E.  ROBINSON. 

WILFORD  WOODRUFF.  AARON  JOHNSON. 

We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  Ladies'  Relief  So- 
ciety, and  married  females,  do  certify  and  declare,  that  we  know 
of  no  system  of  marriage  being  practiced  in  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  save  the  one  contained  in  the 
Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants;  and  we  give  this  certificate  to 
the  public,  to  show  that  J.  C.  Bennett's  secret-wife  system  is  a 
disclosure  of  his  own  make. 

EMMA  SMITH,  President. 
ELIZABETH  ANN  WHITNEY,  Counselor. 
SARAH  M.  CLEVELAND,  Counselor. 
ELIZA  R.  SNOW,  Secretary. 

MARY  C.  MILLER.  CATHERINE  PETTY. 

Lois  CUTLER.  SARAH  HIGBEE. 

THYRSA  CAHOON.  PHEBE  WOODRUFF. 

ANN  HUNTER.  LEONORA  TAYLOR. 

JANE  LAW.  SARAH  HILLMAN. 

SOPHIA  R.  MARKS.  ROSANNAH  MARKS. 

POLLY  Z.  JOHNSON.  ANGELINE  ROBINSON. 

ABIGAIL  WORKS. 

The  Josephites  contend  that  these  statements  pos- 
itively deny  the  existence  of  any  plural- wife  system  in 
the  church  at  all,  while  the  Brighamites  declare  that  they 
were  aimed  solely  at  the  "secret-wife  system"  of  John 
C.  Bennett,  which,  they  tell  us,  was  "as  far  removed 
from  the  plural-marriage  system  set  forth  in  the  revela- 
tion of  1843  as  lechery  is  from  virtue  and  foulness  is 
from  purity."  *  On  this  point,  the  Deseret  Nezjs  of  May 
20,  1886,  says: 

1  Arena,   November,   1902,  p.   492. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  175 

So  with  that  spiritual-wife  doctrine  which  lustful  men  at- 
tempted to  promulgate  at  that  period.  Joseph  the  prophet  was 
just  as  much  opposed  to  that  false  doctrine  as  any  one  could  be. 
It  was  a  counterfeit.  The  true  and  divine  order  is  another  thing. 
The  errors  which  those  ladies  who  signed  the  affidavits  declared 
were  not  known  to  them  as  doctrines  of  the  church,  were  not, 
are  not,  and  never  will  be  part  of  the  creed  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  They  were  conscientious 
in  their  statements. 

This  explanation  may  do  for  a  Mormon,  but  to  an 
outsider,  after  a  careful  study  of  their  phraseology,  these 
statements  are  nothing  more  than  ingenious  subterfuges 
made  to  make  it  appear  that  plural  marriage  was  not 
taught  or  practiced  in  the  church  in  any  form,  while,  in 
reality,  they  deny  only  the  existence  of  Bennett's  system, 
declaring  it  to  be  "a  matter  of  his  own  manufacture"  and 
a  "creature"  and  a  "disclosure  of  his  own  make." 

The  passage  quoted  from  the  "Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants," which  on  the  face  of  it  is  strongly  monogamic  in 
sentiment,  occurs  in  a  rule  of  marriage,  which,  we  are 
informed,  has  never  been  a  bar  to  polygamy,  but  which 
was  employed  "in  every  polygamous  marriage  performed 
in  the  endowment  house  in  Salt  Lake  City  during  the 
palmy  days  of  Brigham  Young,  and,  in  fact,  by  every 
other  polygamous  branch  of  the  Mormon  Church."  ]  It 
was  first  published  at  a  time  when  the  Mormon  people 
were  "reproached  with  the  crime  of  fornication  and  po- 
lygamy," and  is  found  in  the  same  section  with  that 
ambiguous  declaration :  "We  believe  that  one  man  should 
have  one  wife;  and  one  woman  but  one  husband."  At 
this  time,  it  was  undoubtedly  shoved  out  as  a  blind  to 
silence  the  suspicions  of  the  world  and  hide  the  deviltries 
practiced  secretly  under  the  professed  sanction  of  Heaven 
at  Nauvoo. 


"Doctrines  and  Dogmas  of  Mormonism,"  p.  327. 


176  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

As  proof  that  these  evasive  statements  do  not  estab- 
lish that  there  was  no  system  of  plural  marriage  in 
Nauvoo  at  the  time  in  which  they  were  made,  I  call  the 
attention  of  the  reader  to  the  fact  that  afterwards  some 
of  the  very  ones  who  signed  them  admitted  that  at  this 
very  time  they  knew  of  the  existence  of  such  a  principle 
and  practice.  Of  the  thirty-one  who  signed  these  certifi- 
cates, at  least  sixteen  have  declared  that  Joseph  Smith 
did  introduce  polygamy  into  the  Mormon  Church,  and 
while  some  of  them  may  have  believed  him  innocent  of 
Bennett's  charges  on  October  i,  1842,  others,  according 
to  their  confessions  afterwards  made,  knew  that  he  both 
taught  and  practiced  plural  marriage.  John  Taylor,  who 
signed  one  of  the  certificates  and  who  succeeded  Young 
as  the  head  of  the  Brighamite  Church,  states  that  Smith 
revealed  the  principle  to  himself  and  the  rest  of  the 
Twelve  in  1841.  Wilford  Woodruff,  who  succeeded  him, 
said  under  oath,  that  he  "undoubtedly  knew  of  its  being 
taught  to  certain  individuals  at  Nauvoo  in  1841  and  1842." 
Elizabeth  A.  Whitney  made  affidavit,  as  we  have  seen, 
that  she  witnessed  the  marriage  of  her  daughter  Sarah 
to  the  Prophet  as  his  plural  wife  on  the  27th  of  July, 
1842,  and  that  her  husband,  N.  K.  Whitney,  who  signed 
the  first  certificate,  performed  the  ceremony.  And  Eliza 
R.  Snow,  who  posed  as  a  "Miss"  at  this  time,  but  who 
signed  the  certificate  as  a  "married"  female,  afterwards 
made  oath  that  she  had  been  united  to  the  Prophet  as  a 
plural  wife  on  the  2Qth  of  June  preceding.  Of  the  rest, 
Wilson  and  Jane  Law  became  apostates  in  1844  and 
charged,  among  other  things,  that  Smith  was  a  polyga- 
mist,  while  Ebenezer1  and  Angeline  Robinson  declare  in 

1  Robinson  gives  the  following  reason  for  signing  the  denial  of  October 
i,  1842:  "From  what  has  been  stated  heretofore  it  is  to  be  seen  that  great 
effort  was  made  to  counteract  the  influence  that  was  brought  to  bear 
against  the  church  through  the  disaffection  of  Dr.  J.  C.  Bennett.  In 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  177 

their  affidavits  that  Hyrum  taught  them  the  doctrine  in 
the  fall  of  1843.  *n  tne  Kgnt  of  tnese  facts,  these  cer- 
tificates can  not  be  accepted  as  proof  that  polygamy 
was  not  practiced  at  Nauvoo  in  the  year  1842. 

THE    DENIALS    OF    JOSEPH    AND    HYRUM    SMITH. 

In  the  Times  and  Seasons  for  February  I,  1844,  there 
appeared  a  notice,  and  in  the  same  paper,  in  March  of 
the  same  year,  a  letter,  which  are  among  the  choicest 
gems  in  the  Josephite  cabinet,  they  considering  that  they 
are  examples  of  the  monogamic  sentiments  of  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  Smith.  The  notice  is  as  follows : 

NOTICE. 

As  we  have  lately  been  credibly  informed  that  an  elder  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  by  the  name 
of  Hiram  Brown,  has  been  preaching  polygamy,  and  other  false 
and  corrupt  doctrines,  in  the  county  of  Lapeer,  State  of  Mich- 
igan: 

This  is  to  notify  him  and  the  church  in  general,  that  he  has 
been  cut  off  from,  the  church  for  his  iniquity;  and  he  is  further 
notified  to  appear  at  the  special  conference,  on  the  6th  of  April 
next,  to  make  answer  to  these  charges.  JOSEPH  SMITH, 

HYRUM   SMITH, 
Presidents  of  said  Church. 

October,  1842,  a  statement  was  written  out,  and  signed  by  a  large  number 
of  the  brethren  and  sisters,  including  myself  and  wife,  setting  forth  the 
fact  that  we  knew  of  no  other  form  of  marriage  ceremony  in  the  church 
except  the  one  published  in  the  'Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,'  which 
statement  was  true  at  that  time,  as  we  had  no  knowledge  of  such  a  cere- 
mony, or  that  'spiritual  wifery,'  or  'polygamy,'  was  taught  by  the  heads 
of  the  church,  as  they  had  not  up  to  that  time  taught  it  to  us.  We  knew 
it  was  talked  of  in  secret,  and  had  been  for  more  than  a  year,  as  I  have 
heretofore  stated,  that  Don  Carlos  Smith,  in  his  lifetime,  in  June,  1841, 
had  said  to  me  that  'any  man  who  will  teach  and  practice  spiritual  wifery 
will  go  to  hell,  no  matter  if  it  is  my  brother  Joseph.'  These  secret 
rumors  could  not  constitute  a  knowledge  that  certain  persons  taught  such 
things  when  they  had  not  taught  them  to  us.  Dr.  Bennett  had  published 
the  statement  that  Joseph  Smith  taught  the  doctrine  of  'spiritual  wifery'  and 
had  instituted  a  certain  marriage  ceremony  connected  therewith,  of  which 
we  had  no  knowledge,  and  the  certificate  was  given  to  counteract  Bennett's 
statement." — Return,  February,  1891. 


178  THE    TRUE    ORIGIN   OF 

The  letter  mentioned,  which  was  written  by  Hyrum 
Smith,  reads: 

NAUVOO,  March  15,  1844. 

To  the  Brethren  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter 
Day  Saints,  living  on  China  Creek,  in  Hancock  County,  Greeting: 
— Whereas,  Brother  Richard  Hewitt  has  called  on  me  to-day,  to 
know  my  views  concerning  some  doctrines  that  are  preached  in 
your  place,  and  states  to  me  that  some  of  your  elders  say  that 
a  man  having  a  certain  priesthood  may  have  as  many  wives  as  he 
pleases,  and  that  doctrine  is  taught  here:  I  say  unto  you  that 
that  man  teaches  false  doctrine,  for  there  is  no  such  doctrine 
taught  here;  neither  is  there  any  such  thing  practiced  here.  And 
any  man  that  is  found  teaching  privately  or  publicly  any  such 
doctrine,  is  culpable,  and  will  stand  a  chance  to  be  brought  before 
the  High  Council  and  lose  his  license  and  membership  also: 
Therefore,  he  had  better  bewaie  what  he  is  about. 

And  again  I  say  unto  you,  an  elder  has  no  lusiness  to  under- 
take to  preach  mysteries  in  any  part  of  the  world,  for  God  has 
commanded  us  all  to  preach  nothing  but  the  first  principles  unto 
the  world.  Neither  has  any  elder  any  authority  to  preach  any 
mysterious  thing  to  any  branch  of  the  church,  unless  he  has 
a  direct  command  from  God  to  do  so.  Let  the  matter  of  the 
grand  councils  of  heaven,  and  the  making  of  Gods,  worlds  and 
devils  entirely  alone;  for  you  are  not  called  to  teach  any  such 
doctrine — for  neither  you  nor  the  people  are  capacitated  to  under- 
stand any  such  principles — less  so  to  teach  them.  For  when 
God  commands  men  to  teach  such  principles  the  Saints  will 
receive  them.  Therefore,  beware  what  you  teach !  for  the  mys- 
teries of  God  are  not  given  to  all  men ;  and  unto  those  to  whom 
they  are  given  they  are  placed  under  restrictions  to  impart  only 
such  as  God  will  command  them;  and  the  residue  is  to  be  kept 
in  a  faithful  breast,  otherwise  he  will  be  brought  under  con- 
demnation. By  this  God  will  prove  his  faithful  servants  who 
will  be  called  and  numbered  with  the  chosen. 

And  as  to  the  celestial  glory,  all  v/ill  enter  in  and  possess 
that  Kingdom  that  obey  the  gospel,  and  continue  in  faith  in  the 
Lord  unto  the  end  of  his  days.  Now,  therefore,  I  say  unto 
you,  you  must  cease  preaching  your  miraculous  things,  and  let 
the  mysteries  alone  until  bye  and  bye.  Preach  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ;  repentance  and  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins; 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  179 

the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  teaching 
the  necessity  of  strict  obedience  unto  these  principles;  reasoning 
out  of  the  Scriptures ;  proving  them  unto  the  people.    Cease  your 
schisms  and  divisions  and  your  contentions.     Humble  yourselves 
as  in  dust  and  ashes,  lest  God  should  make  you  an  ensample  of 
his  wrath  unto  the  surrounding  world.    Amen. 
In  the  bonds  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  I  am, 
Your  obedient  servant, 

HYRUM   SMITH. 

The  question  before  us  is :  Are  this  notice  and  this 
letter  either  real  or  tacit  denials  of  a  belief  in  and  a 
practice  of  polygamy,  or  are  they  only  carefully  worded 
evasions  made  to  quiet  suspicion  while  at  the  same  time 
they  do  not  deny  this  belief  and  practice? 

That  both  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  with  other  leading- 
men  of  the  church,  were  actually  teaching  and  practic- 
ing polygamy  at  this  time,  is  proved  by  the  sworn  testi- 
monies of  Cowles,  Soby,  Fullmer,  Grover,  John  W.  Rig- 
don,  the  Robinsons  and  others.  But  all  this  was  done 
behind  the  scenes  to  keep  it  from  the  eyes  and  ears 
of  the  world,  and  when  an  injudicious  elder,  like  Hiram 
Brown,  brought  it  out  into  the  lime-light  he  was  imme- 
diately brought  to  time  and  neatly  worded  statements 
were  issued  to  silence  suspicion. 

Hiram  Brown's  "iniquity"  consisted,  not  in  believing 
in  or  practicing,  but  in  "preaching  polygamy.''  This  was 
decidedly  premature  and  was  directly  contrary  to  the 
will  of  the  Prophet,  who  held  "the  keys  of  this  priest- 
hood" and  who  guarded  with  a  jealous  care  this  "holy" 
institution  that  it  might  not  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
vulgar  and  profane  Gentiles.  Brown  was  the  wrong 
man  to  preach  it,  and  then,  again,  Lapeer  County,  Mich- 
igan, was  the  wrong  place.  This  heavenly  doctrine  was 
to  be  taught  wholly  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  Nau- 
voo,  and  then  not  to  unappreciative  Gentiles,  but  to 


180  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Latter-day  Saints  who  were  "willing  to  take  up  their 
cross"  and  "live  their  religion."  So,  with  the  wrong 
man  preaching  it,  in  the  wrong  place  and  to  the  wrong 
crowd,  there  is  no  wonder  that  Brown  was  cut  off  from 
the  church  first  and  cited  to  appear  for  trial  afterwards. 
But  it  seems  that  he  was  not  the  first  to  be  called  to 
account  for  this  offense.  Four  months  before,  on  Octo- 
ber 5,  1843,  the  Prophet  made  the  following  entry  in  his 
"Diary": 

Gave  instructions  to  try  those  persons  who  were  preaching, 
teaching  or  practicing  the  doctrine  of  plurality  of  wives;  for, 
according  to  the  law,  I  hold  the  keys  of  this  power  in  the  last 
days;  for  there  is  never  but  one  on  earth  at  a  time  on  whom 
the  power  and  its  keys  are  conferred;  and  I  have  constantly 
said  no  man  shall  have  but  one  wife  at  a  time  unless  the  Lord 
directs  otherwise. 

The  Prophet  wanted  the  same  monopoly  in  the  plural- 
marriage  business  that  he  tried  to  have  in  Nauvoo  real 
estate. 

The  letter  of  Hyrum  Smith,  like  the  notice  which  we 
have  been  considering,  is  a  mere  evasion.  It  does  not 
deny  either  the  teaching  or  the  practice  of  polygamy, 
but  that  "a  man  having  a  certain  priesthood  may  have  as 
many  wives  as  he  pleases."  This  doctrine  was  certainly 
not  taught  at  Nauvoo,  as  it  was  never  taught  at  Salt 
Lake  City.  Polygamy  was  never  restricted  to  "a  certain 
priesthood,"  while,  in  the  entry  in  his  "Diary"  just  cited, 
Joseph  says:  "No  man  shall  have  but  one  wife  at  a 
time  unless  the  Lord  directs  otherwise."  So,  while  the 
doctrine,  that  "a  man  having  a  certain  priesthood  may 
have  as  many  wives  as  he  pleases,"  was  not  taught  in 
Nauvoo,  polygamy,  at  the  same  time,  did  flourish  as  a 
green  bay-tree. 

The  caution  that  follows  the  foregoing  denial  is  also 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  181 

of  interest,  as  it  shows  that  there  were  "mysteries"  which 
were  not  intended  for  all  men,  but  only  for  the  Saints, 
and  that  they  were  not  to  be  taught  unless  God  so  com- 
manded, until  which  time  they  were  to  be  "kept  in  a 
faithful  breast."  Martha  Brotherton,  the  Nauvoo  Ex- 
positor, the  Robinsons  and  others  tell  us  that  the  greatest 
precautions  were  taken  in  order  to  keep  the  spiritual- 
wife  doctrine  from  the  world.  It  was  one  of  those  "mys- 
teries" which  were  not  for  all  men,  nor  yet  for  all 
Latter-day  Saints,  but  only  for  the  select  few  of  the 
inner  circle.  The  caution  of  Hyrum  was  a  gentle  re- 
minder to  Hewitt  and  others  that  they  were  to  keep  mum 
on  such  "mysteries"  and  to  preach  only  "first  principles." 
On  this  point  the  Deseret  News,  of  May  20,  1886,  says : 

Until  the  open  enunciation  of  the  doctrine  of  celestial  mar- 
riage by  the  publication  of  the  revelation  on  the  subject  in  1852, 
no  elder  was  authorized  to  announce  it  to  the  world.  The 
Almighty  has  revealed  things  on  many  occasions  which  were 
for  His  servants  and  not  for  the  world.  Jesus  enjoined  His 
disciples  on  several  occasions  to  keep  to  themselves  principles  that 
he  made  known  to  them.  And  this  injunction,  "Cast  not  your 
pearls  before  swine,  lest  they  trample  them  under  their  feet 
and  turn  again  and  rend  you,"  has  become  as  familiar  as  a 
common  proverb.  In  the  rise  of  the  church  the  Lord  had 
occasion  to  admonish  His  servants  in  regard  to  revelations  that 
were  afterwards  permitted  to  be  published : 

"I  say  unto  you,  hold  your  peace  until  I  shall  see  fit  to 
make  all  things  known  unto  the  world  concerning  this  matter." 

"And  now  I  say  unto  you,  keep  these  things  from  going 
abroad  into  the  world  until  it  is  expedient  in  me." 

"But  a  commandment  I  give  unto  them  that  they  shall  not 
boast  themselves  of  these  things,  neither  speak  of  them  before  the 
world,  for  these  things  are  given  unto  you  for  your  profit 
and  your  salvation"  (Doc.  &  Cov.). 

Under  these  instructions  elders  had  no  right  to  promulgate 
anything  but  that  which  they  were  authorized,  to  teach.  And 
when  assailed  by  enemies  and  accused  of  practicing  things  which 


182  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

were  really  not  countenanced  in  the  church,  they  were  justified  in 
denying  those  imputations  and  at  the  same  time  avoiding  the 
avowal  of  such  doctrines  as  were  not  yet  intended  for  the  world. 
This  course  which  they  have  taken  when  necessary,  by  com- 
mandment, is  all  the  ground  which  their  accusers  have  for 
charging  them  with  falsehood. 

THE    DENIALS    OF    RIGDON^S    CHARGES. 

After  Sidney  Rigdon  had  been  expelled  from  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  he  charged 
that  people  with  "abrogating  the  marriage  contract,  and 
substituting,  under  the  professed  sanction  of  Heaven, 
a  system  of  extreme  licentiousness."  Coming  as  this  did 
from  a  man  who  had  been  with  Smith  nearly  from  the 
beginning  of  his  movement  up  to  the  hour  of  his  death, 
it  increased  the  widespread  ill-feeling  that  was  held 
against  the  church  and  demanded  the  immediate  attention 
of  the  leaders  at  Nauvoo. 

These  replied  by  accusing  Rigdon  of  having  been  a 
friend  of  J.  C.  Bennett  and  of  agitating  the  spiritual- 
wife  doctrine  introduced  by  him,  at  the  same  time  deny- 
ing the  charges  made  against  them  and  affirming  their 
own  innocence.  Elder  E.  M.  Webb  wrote  as  follows  for 
the  Kalamazoo  (Mich.)  Gazette: 

The  Latter  Day  Saints  are  charged  by  their  enemies  with 
the  blackest  crimes.  Treason,  murder,  theft,  polygamy  and 
adultery,  are  among  the  many  crimes  laid  to  their  charge. 
.  .  .  Mr.  Rigdon's  spiritual-wife  system  was  never  known  until 
it  was  hatched  by  J.  C.  Bennett,  who  was  cut  off  from  the 
church  for  seduction.  As  to  the  charge  of  polygamy,  I  will 
quote  from  the  "Doctrine  and  Covenants,"  which  is  the  sub- 
scribed faith  of  the  church  and  is  strictly  enforced. 

And  Parley  P.  Pratt,  in  an  article  entitled  "Fragments 
of  an  Address,"  published  in  the  Millennial  Star  under 
date  of  July  I,  1845,  says: 

Again,  beware  of  seducing  spirits,  and  doctrines  of  devils, 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  183- 

as  first  introduced  by  John  C.  Bennett,  under  the  name  of 
"Spiritual  Wife"  doctrine;  and  still  agitated  by  the  Pittsburg 
Seer,  and  his  followers  under  the  same  title.  It  is  but  another 
name  for  whoredom,  wicked  and  unlawful  connection,  and  every 
kind  of  confusion,  corruption  and  abomination.  .  .  .  "The  Spirit- 
ual Wife  Doctrine"  of  J.  C.  Bennett,  and  numerous  other  apos- 
tates, is  as  foreign  to  the  real  principles  of  the  church  as  the 
devil  is  from  God,  or  as  sectarianism  is  from  Christianity. 

That  Sidney  Rigdon  did  advocate  a  spiritual-wife 
system  of  his  own  will  not  be  denied,  but  as  both  Joseph- 
ites  and  Brighamites  now  admit1  that  at  this  very  time 
the  Twelve  and  their  followers  were  secretly  teaching 
and  practicing  a  similar  principle,  their  denials  may  be 
looked  upon  as  pure  falsifications  made  with  the  purpose 
to  deceive. 

THE  DENIAL   OF  JOHN   TAYLOR. 

During  the  course  of  a  public  discussion  held  in 
Boulogne-sur-mer,  France,  between  Elder  John  Taylor 


1  The  Josephites  are  often  rather  vague  and  uncertain  in  fixing  the 
responsibility  for  polygamy  and  the  time  when  it  was  introduced  into  the 
church.  Sometimes  they  charge  its  introduction  to  Brigham  Young  and  the 
year  1852  (R.  C.  Evans,  in  "Blood  Atonement  and  the  Origin  of  Plural 
Marriage,"  p.  38) ;  at  others,  to  John  C.  Bennett  and  1842  (A.  H.  Smith, 
in  "Polygamy:  Was  It  an  Original  Tenet  of  the  Church?"  p.  6);  and,  at 
others,  to  Udney  Jacobs  and  1842-43  (Charles  W.  Wandell,  in  Saints' 
Advocate,  Vol.  III.,  p.  19).  These  conflicting  theories  are  so  noticeable 
that  even  Josephites  have  remarked  upon  them.  Elder  C.  L.  Snow,  in 
the  Saints'  Herald  for  March  24,  1909,  says:  "Some  of  our  people  will 
claim  that  polygamy  was  never  taught  in  the  church  till  after  the  death 
of  Joseph  Smith,  and  that  it  was  first  taught  and  practiced  ia  Utah  about 
1852,  and  they  will  cite  Utah  Mormons  to  prove  it  was  never  taught  and 
practiced  till  they  went  to  Utah.  Then,  probably  in  their  same  article, 
they  will  prove  it  was  taught  and  even  practiced  at  Nauvoo,  Illinois, 
before  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  that  Joseph  Smith  claimed  it 
would  be  the  overthrow  of  the  church  if  it  was  not  put  down;  and  that 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  had  men  cut  off  from  the  church  for  teaching  it  and 
practicing  it.  So  I  have  read  so  much  of  such  contradiction  that  I  have 
often  thought  such  brethren  did  not  have  the  Spirit  that  was  to  guide 
them  into  truth."  At  the  present,  however,  most  Josephites  concede  that 
polygamy  was  taught  and  practiced  by  some  at  Nauvoo  before  Smith's 
death.  The  Brighamites,  at  first,  and  as  late  as  1852,  strenuously  denied 
the  doctrine  and  the  practice,  but  since  that  date  they  have  admitted  its 
existence  as  early  as  1841. 


184  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

and  the  Reverends  C.  W.  Cleeve,  James  Robertson  and 
Philip  Cater,  in  July,  1850,  Taylor  said : 

We  are  here  accused  of  polygamy,  and  actions  the  most 
indelicate,  obscene  and  disgusting,  such  that  none  but  a  cor- 
rupt and  depraved  heart  could  have  contrived.  These  things  are 
too  outrageous  to  admit  of  belief;  therefore  leaving  the  sisters 
of  the  "White  Veil,"  the  "Black  Veil/'  and  all  the  other  veils, 
with  those  gentlemen  to  dis^  s°  of,  together  with  their  authors, 
as  they  think  best,  I  shall  content  myself  by  reading  our  views 
of  chastity  and  marriage,  from  a  work  published  by  us,  contain- 
ing some  of  the  articles  of  our  faith. — Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
P-  330. 

We  would  have  more  respect  for  this  gentleman  and 
more  confidence  in  his  word  were  it  not  known  that 
at  this  very  time  he  was  living  with  ten  wives.  Their 
names  are:  Leonora  Cannon,  his  legal  wife,  Elizabeth 
Kaighn,  Mary  Ramsbottom,  Miss  Ballintyne,  Annie 
Ballintyne,  Miss  Oakley,  Harriet  Whitaker,  Sophia  Whit- 
aker,  and  two  others  whose  names  are  unknown. 

The  Brighamites  try  to  excuse  this  lying  by  the  fol- 
lowing explanation: 

The  polygamy  and  gross  sensuality  charged  by  Bennett  and 
repeated  by  those  ministers  in  France,  had  no  resemblance  to 
celestial  or  patriarchal  marriage  which  Elder  Taylor  knew  ex- 
isted at  Nauvoo,  and  which  he  had  obeyed.  Hence  in  denying 
the  false  charges  of  Bennett,  he  did  not  deny  the  existence 
of  that  system  of  marriage  that  God  had  revealed;  no  more 
than  a  man  would  be  guilty  of  denying  the  legal,  genuine  cur- 
rency of  the  country  by  denying  the  genuineness  and  denouncing 
what  he  knew  to  be  a  mere  counterfeit  of  it. — Life  of  John 
Taylor,  p.  223. 

But  let  the  reader  notice  that  it  is  not  the  spiritual- 
wife  system  of  Bennett,  particularly,  that  Taylor  denies, 
but  polygamy  in  general.  He  says:  "We  are  here  ac- 
cused of  polygamy,  and  actions  the  most  indelicate,  ob- 
scene and  disgusting."  It  would  look  a  great  deal  better 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  185 

to-day  if  the  representatives  of  the  Mormon  Church  had 
made  the  same  explanation  of  the  difference  between  the 
spiritual-wife  system  of  Bennett  and  the  plural-marriage 
system  of  Smith  that  they  now  make,  instead  of  condemn- 
ing the  first  in  unqualified  terms  and  deceiving  the  people 
by  their  silence  on  the  second.  It  is  this  little  game 
of  artfully  concealing  the  facts  that  Mormonism  has 
played  with  the  public  from  its  inception  down  to  the 
present  that  has  given  it  the  poor  reputation  for  veracity 
that  it  now  possesses. 

THE   DENIALS   OF   EMMA   SMITH. 

Emma  Smith,  the  wife  of  the  Mormon  Prophet,  is 
said  to  have  made  two  statements  relative  to  polygamy, 
in  both  of  which  she  denied  that  there  had  ever  been  a 
revelation  upon  the  subject,  stating  further  in  one  of 
them  that  her  husband  had  never  had,  to  her  knowledge, 
more  wives  than  herself.  The  first  of  these  statements, 
which  is  said  to  have  been  made  to  Elder  J.  W.  Briggs 
in  the  form  of  answers  to  certain  questions  asked  by 
him  in  an  interview  in  April,  1867,  is  as  follows : 

J.  W.  Briggs. — Mrs.  Bidamon  [she  at  that  time  was  the  wife 
of  Major  Lewis  C.  Bidamon],  have  you  seen  the  revelation  on 
polygamy,  published  by  Orson  Pratt,  in  the  Seer,  in  1852? 

Mrs.  B. — I  have. 

J.  W.  B.— Have  you  read  it? 

Mrs.  B. — I  have  read  it,  and  heard  it  read. 

J.  W.  B, — Did  you  ever  see  that  document  in  manuscript 
previous  to  its  publication  by  Pratt? 

Mrs.  B. — I  never  did. 

J.  W.  B. — Did  you  ever  see  any  document  of  that  kind  pur- 
porting to  be  a  revelation,  to  authorize  polygamy? 

Mrs.  B.— No;  I  never  did. 

J.  W.  B. — Did  Joseph  Smith  ever  teach  you  the  principles 
of  polygamy,  as  being  revealed  to  him,  or  as  a  correct  and  right- 
eous principle? 

Mrs.  B. — He  never  did. 
(13) 


186  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

J.  W.  B.— What  about  that  statement  of  Brigham  Young, 
that  you  burnt  the  original  manuscript  of  that  revelation? 

Mrs.  B. — It  is  false  in  all  its  parts,  made  out  of  whole  cloth; 
without  any  foundation  in  truth. 

A  short  time  prior  to  her  death,  in  1879,  Mrs.  Bida- 
mon  is  said  to  have  made  the  following  answers  to  ques- 
tions propounded  to  her  by  her  son,  Joseph  Smith,  present 
head  of  the  Reorganized  Church : 

Q. — What  about  the  revelation  on  polygamy?  Did  Joseph 
Smith  have  anything  like  it?  What  of  spiritual  wifery? 

A. — There  was  no  revelation  on  either  polygamy,  or  spiritual 
wives.  There  were  some  rumors  of  something  of  the  sort,  of 
which  I  asked  my  husband.  He  assured  me  that  all  there  was  to 
it  was,  that,  in  a  chat  about  plural  wives,  he  had  said,  "Well, 
such  a  system  might  possibly  be,  if  everybody  was  agreed  to  it, 
and  would  behave  as  they  should;  but  they  would  not;  and, 
besides,  it  was  contrary  to  the  will  of  heaven." 

No  such  thing  as  polygamy,  or  spiritual  wifery,  was  taught, 
publicly  or  privately,  before  my  husband's  death,  that  I  have  now, 
or  ever  had,  any  knowledge  of. 

Q. — Did  he  not  have  other  wives  than  yourself? 

A. — He  had  no  other  wife  but  me;  nor  did  he  to  my  knowl- 
edge ever  have. 

Q. — Did  he  not  hold  marital  relation  with  women  other  than 
yourself? 

A. — He  did  not  have  improper  relations  with  any  woman 
that  ever  came  to  rny  knowledge. 

Q. — Was  there  nothing  about  spiritual  wives  that  you  rec- 
ollect? 

A. — At  one  time  my  husband  came  to  me  and  asked  me  if 
I  had  heard  certain  rumors  about  spiritual  marriages,  or  any- 
thing of  the  kind;  and  assured  me  that  if  I  had,  that  they  were 
without  foundation ;  that  there  was  no  such  doctrine,  and  never 
should  be  with  his  knowledge,  or  consent.  I  know  that  he  had 
no  other  wife  or  wives  than  myself,  in  any  sense,  either  spiritual 
or  otherwise. 

The  Josephites  consider  the  answers  said  to  have 
been  given  by  Mrs.  Bidamon  during  these  interviews  as 


-# 

MORMON  POLYGAMY  187 

conclusive  proof  that  Joseph  Smith  had  no  connection 
with  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage,"  and  that  he 
did  not  either  teach  or  practice  polygamy.  But,  to  me, 
their  value  as  evidence  has  been  greatly  overestimated 
for  the  following  reasons:  First,  their  genuineness  has 
never  been  authenticated;  secondly,  there  were  strong 
temptations  at  the  time  in  which  they  were  given  for 
falsification ;  thirdly,  they  do  not  deny  that  Smith  either 
taught  or  practiced  polygamy,  but  that  he  taught  and 
practiced  this  doctrine  within  the  knowledge  of  his  wife ; 
and,  fourthly,  they  admit  that  plural  marriage  had  come 
to  be  a  subject  of  conversation  at  Nauvoo  and  that 
Joseph  Smith  was  not  strongly  opposed  to  the  principle, 
if  at  all,  only  to  its  abuse,  for  he  said:  "Such  a  system 
might  possibly  be,  if  everybody  was  agreed  to  it,  and 
would  behave  as  they  should." 

While  the  answers  in  the  foregoing  interviews  are 
said  to  be  the  exact  language  of  Mrs.  Bidamon,  we  have 
to  depend  for  their  genuineness  and  accuracy  entirely 
upon  the  word  of  Elder  J.  W.  Briggs  and  her  son, 
Joseph  Smith,  as  this  lady,  although  there  was  ample 
opportunity  and  an  occasion  for  it,  never  left  a  sworn 
statement  upon  the  subject.  What  is  still  further  sus- 
picious is,  the  second,  and  most  important,  of  these  in- 
terviews was  never  published  until  this  lady  was  dead 
and  in  her  grave,  and  then  it  was  put  out  as  the  "LAST 
TESTIMONY  OF  SISTER  EMMA."  That  Briggs  and  Smith 
would  wish  to  make  matters  look  as  favorable  for  the 
Prophet  as  possible  is  proved  by  the  denominational  af- 
filiation. 

If  Mrs.  Bidamon  answered  the  questions  propounded 
to  her  as  given,  she  stands  alone,  among  those  who 
were  in  a  position  to  know  the  facts,  in  regard  to  the 
origin  of  Mormon  polygamy,  opposed  by  the  Rigdons, 


188  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

La\vs  and  Robinsons,  Cowles,  Soby  and  scores  of  others, 
all  of  whom  testify  that  her  husband  was  connected  with 
this  doctrine  and  that  he  did  have  a  revelation  on  the 
subject.  As  the  case  stands,  we  must  conclude  that  she 
falsified  if  she  made  the  answers  attributed  to  her.  That 
there  were  strong  temptations  for  her  to  do  so,  will 
appear  when  we  consider  that  the  transactions  at  Nauvoo 
had  put  a  stigma  upon  the  family  name  and  that  her 
son  had  become  head  of  the  monogamic  Mormon  Church. 
She  may  have  felt  that  it  would  both  remove  the  stigma 
and  advance  his  cause  if  the  world  could  be  made  to 
believe  that  the  Mormon  Prophet  was  not  the  libertine  he 
was  declared  to  be  after  all. 

That  her  son  long  had  a  strong  suspicion  that  his 
mother  might  know  more  about  polygamy  than  he  cared 
to  know  is  proved  by  his  own  admission  that  he  had 
"never  questioned  her  upon  the  subject  until  near  the 
close  of  her  life."  As  her  death  occurred  thirty-five 
years  after  his  father  was  shot  and  nineteen  years  after 
he  became  head  of  the  Reorganized  Church,  this  is  cer- 
tainly remarkable  when  we  consider  that  all  this  time 
his  father  was  openly  charged  by  Brighamites,  apostates 
and  Gentiles  alike  with  being  a  polygamist,  and  he  him- 
self was  twitted  with  the  charge  and  was  repeatedly 
asked:  "Why  don't  you  ask  your  mother;  she  dare  not 
deny  these  things ;  you  do  not  dare  to  ask  your  mother." 
The  fact  of  his  cowardice  and  his  mother's  almost  total 
silence  raises  a  very  strong  suspicion  that  he  thought 
that  there  had  been  something  wrong  in  his  father's  con- 
duct after  all,  which  it  was  unpleasant  to  talk  about. 

Mrs.  Bidamon  has  certainly  erred  in  saying  that 
"there  was  no  revelation  on  either  polygamy  or  spiritual 
wives."  Her  purported  denial  can  not  be  made  to  set 
aside  the  sworn  testimony  to  the  contrary  of  the  Laws 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  189 

and  Cowles,  published  twenty  days  before  the  Prophet's 
death  and  corroborated  afterwards  by  the  affidavits  of 
Fullmer,  Grover,  Soby  and  the  Robinsons.  These  wit- 
nesses testify  under  oath  that  there  was  such  a  revelation, 
some  of  them  affirming  that  it  was  read  before  the 
High  Council.  To  ask  the  Gentile  public  to  accept  the 
purported  statements  of  Mrs.  Bidamon,  when  they  are 
not  in  her  own  handwriting,  not  even  signed  with  her 
own  name,  and  one  of  them  not  given  to  the  public  until 
after  her  death,  in  preference  to  these  affidavits,  which 
even  the  Josephites  are  forced  to  admit  were  made  as 
claimed,  is  asking  altogether  too  much. 

But,  even,  if  the  interviews  are  correctly  reported 
and  Mrs.  Smith,  so  far  as  her  knowledge  went,  has  told 
the  truth,  her  testimony  does  not  prove  that  her  husband 
did  not  claim  to  receive  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial 
Marriage"  or  that  he  was  not  a  polygamist.  In  her  inter- 
view with  Mr.  Briggs,  she  is  reported  as  denying,  simply, 
that  her  husband  ever  taught  her  the  "principles  of  polyg- 
amy," while  in  the  interview  with  her  son  she  is  repre- 
sented as  saying  "no  such  thing  as  polygamy  or  spiritual 
wifery  was  taught  publicly  or  privately,  before  my  hus- 
band's death,  that  /  have  now,  or  ever  had,  any  knowl- 
edge of,"  "he  had  no  other  wife  but  me ;  nor  did  he  to  my 
knowledge  ever  have,"  and  "he  did  not  have  improper 
relations  with  any  woman  that  ever  came  to  my  knowl- 
edge." 

Joseph,  then,  may  have  had  a  dozen  wives,  but  if  a 
knowledge  of  this  was  kept  from  Emma  she  could  have 
conscientiously  given  the  answers  that  are  attributed  to 
her. 

But  Mrs.  Bidamon's  assertion,  that  Smith  never  had 
any  other  wife  but  herself,  as  far  as  her  knowledge  went, 
is  denied  by  some  of  those  who  were  most  intimately 


190  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

acquainted  with  her.     Lovina   (Smith)   Walker,  daugh- 
ter of  Hyrum,  affirms : 

I,  Lovina  Walker,  hereby  certify  that  while  I  was  living 
with  Aunt  Emma  Smith,  in  Fulton  City,  Fulton  Co.,  Illinois, 
in  the  year  1846,  that  she  told  me  that  she,  Emma  Smith,  was 
present,  and  witnessed  the  marrying  or  sealing  of  Eliza  Part- 
ridge, Emily  Partridge,  Maria  Lawrence,  and  Sarah  Lawrence 
to  her  husband  Joseph  Smith,  and  that  she  gave  her  consent 
thereto.  LOVINA  WALKER. 

We  hereby  witness  that  Lovina  Walker  made  and  signed 
the  above  statement  on  this  i6th  day  of  June,  1869,  at  Salt 
Lake  City,  S.  L.  County,  Utah  Territory,  of  her  own  free  will 
and  accord.  HYRUM  S.  WALKER. 

SARAH    E.    SMITH. 
JOSEPH  F.  SMITH. 

Here  is  a  statement,  signed  by  the  one  who  made  it 
and  properly  witnessed,  which  contradicts  the  purported 
statement  of  Mrs.  Bidamon  that,  to  her  knowledge, 
Joseph  Smith  did  not  have  more  wives  than  herself. 
This  is  corroborated  by  the  sworn  testimony  of  Mrs. 
Lucy  Walker  Smith  Kimball : 

I  was  a  plural  wife  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  and  was 
married  for  time  and  eternity  in  Nauvoo,  State  of  Illinois,  on 
the  first  day  of  May,  1843,  by  Elder  William  Clayton.  The 
Prophet  was  then  living  with  his  first  wife,  Emma  Smith, 
and  I  know  that  she  gave  her  consent  to  the  marriage  of  at 
least  four  women  tc  her  husband  as  plural  wives,  and  she  was 
well  aware  that  he  associated  and  cohabited  with  them  as  wives. 
The  names  of  these  women  are  Eliza  and  Emily  Partridge,  and 
Maria  and  Sarah  Lawrence. 

That  Emma  knew  of  plural  wives  being  sealed  to 
her  husband  is  further  corroborated  by  the  testimony  of 
Emily  D.  P.  Young.  Of  her  own  marriage  to  Joseph, 
she  says : 

This  was  done  without  the  knowledge  of  Emma  Smith. 
1'wo  months  afterwards  she  (Emma)  consented  tp  give  her 
husband  two  wives  provided  he  would  give  her  the  privilege  of 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  191 

choosing  them.  She  accordingly  chose  my  sister  Eliza  and 
myself,  and  to  save  family  trouble  Bro.  Joseph  thought  it  best 
to  have  another  ceremony  performed;  accordingly  on  the  nth 
of  May,  1843,  we  were  sealed  to  Joseph  Smith  a  second  time  in 
Emma's  presence,  she  giving  her  free  and  full  consent  thereto. — 
Crooked  Paths,  p.  5.* 

In  his  affidavit,  before  given,  William  Law  says  of 
Emma's  knowledge  of  Joseph's  polygamous  practices : 

Mrs.  Smith  complained  to  me  about  Joseph  keeping  his 
young  wives  in  her  house  and  elsewhere,  and  his  neglect  of  her. 
She  spoke  freely  about  the  «-evelation  and  its  threat  against  her 
life  and  she  seemed  to  have  no  faith  in  it  whatever.  From 
what  she  said  to  me  and  from  what  I  learned  from  other 
sources  I  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
Smith  and  others  in  the  Church  had  been  practicing  polygamy 
for  a  long  time  before  the  revelation  came  forth,  although  it  was 
vehemently  denied  from  the  public  stand,  and  those  who  spoke 
of  its  existence  were  denounced  as  slanderers  of  the  Church. 

Reader,  does  this  not  make  "THE  LAST  TESTIMONY  OF 
SISTER  EMMA"  look  slightly  suspicious? 

But,  whether  we  consider  the  purported  interviews 
with  Mrs.  Bidamon  as  stating  the  truth  or  not,  we  can 
not  escape  from  the  fact  that  the  latter  of  these  leaves  an 
unfavorable  impression  for  Joseph  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader.  It  is  admitted  that  there  were  "rumors"  of 
polygamy.  But  how  Mrs.  Smith  only  heard  "rumors" 
when  she  lived  at  Nauvoo  through  the  trying  scenes  of 
1842-1844,  when  the  leading  men  of  the  church  were 
turning  against  her  husband  and  denouncing  him  for 
alleged  immorality,  is  not  explained.  She  declares,  how- 
ever, that  Joseph  assured  her  that  there  was  no  basis  to 
these  "rumors,"  and  that  they  started  from  a  "chat  about 
plural  wives,"  in  which  he  had  said :  "Well,  such  a  system 
might  possibly  be,  if  everybody  was  agreed  to  it  and 

1  "Joseph  Smith:  Who  Was  He?"  p.   79. 


192  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

would  behave  as  they  should;  but  they  would  not;  and, 
besides,  it  was  contrary  to  the  will  of  heaven."  Reader, 
do  you  think  that  a  man  who  was  an  out-and-out  op- 
ponent of  polygamy,  as  the  Josephites  try  to  make  Smith 
out  to  have  been,  would  say :  "Well,  such  a  system  might 
possibly  be,  if  everybody  was  agreed  to  it  and  would 
behave  as  they  should"?  Do  these  very  words  not  make 
it  appear  that  he  was  not  so  much  opposed  to  the  prin- 
ciple of  polygamy  after  all,  only  to  the  abuse  of  that 
principle?  No  matter  what  the  Josephites  may  say,  or 
how  they  may  try  to  explain  away  their  force,  these 
words  will  strike  the  ordinary  reader  as  being  the  glim- 
merings of  plural  wifery  through  the  thin  gauze  of  Mrs. 
Bidamon's  purported  statement 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  19S 


CHAPTER   IX. 

The  Factions  and  Polygamy — The  Legal  Battle  over  Polygamy 
—Theoretical  Polygamy— Practical  Polygamy. 

Following  the  assassination  of  Joseph  Smith,  the 
Mormon  people  divided  into  a  number  of  independent 
and  warring  factions,  each  claiming  to  be  the  divinely 
authorized  successor  of  the  original  church.  Besides 
the  main  body  under  Brigham  Young,  and  the  larger 
following  of  Rigdon,  Strang  and  Briggs,  there  were 
the  smaller  factions  of  Wight,  Smith,  Thompson,  Brew- 
ster,  Bickerton,  Cowles,  Cutler,  Whitmer,  Bishop,  Mor- 
ris, Emmett,  Hinkle  and  Hedrick.  But  all  of  these  fac- 
tions were  short-lived  and  soon  went  to  pieces,  with  the 
exception  of  those  following  Young,  Briggs  and  Hedrick, 
which  are  with  us  to-day. 

Of  the  original  twelve  Apostles,  nine  went  to  Utah, 
viz. :  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Orson  Pratt, 
Parley  Pratt,  Orson  Hyde,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff, Willard  Richards  and  George  A.  Smith.  Of  the 
remaining  three,  Lyman  Wight  broke  off  from  the  main 
body  in  1844  or  ^4S  and  organized  a  party  of  his 
own;  John  E.  Page  threw  in  his  fortunes,  first  with 
Strang,  and  afterwards  with  Hedrick ;  and  William  Smith 
first  affiliated  with  the  Brighamites,  then  with  the  Strang- 
ites,  then  headed  a  faction  of  his  own,  and,  lastly,  in 
1878,  united  with  the  Reorganization. 

There  is  one  significant  fact  which  it  is  difficult  for 
the  Josephites,  satisfactorily,  to  explain :  Every  member 
of  the  original  Quorum  of  Twelve  Apostles,  and  at  least 
six  of  the  factions,  are  known  to  have  advocated  the  doc- 


194  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

trine  and  practice  of  polygamy.1  That  those  Apostles 
who  followed  Young  advocated  this  doctrine,  is  well 
known.  It  is  also  conceded  that  Lyman  Wight  both 
taught  and  practiced  it.  That  William  Smith  held  it,  is 
proved  by  his  advocacy  of  it  as  late  as  1851.  And,  as 
for  John  E.  Page,  his  legal  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Eaton,  of 
Independence,  Missouri,  told  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr.,  and 
others,  in  1904,  that  she  gave  him  plural  wives.2  On  the 
practice  of  polygamy  among  the  factions,  President  Jo- 
seph Smith,  of  the  Reorganized  Church,  in  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Joseph  Davis,  of  Wales,  and  dated  at  Lamoni,  Iowa, 
October  13,  1899,  says: 

Nearly  all  the  factions  into  which  the  church  broke  had 
plural  marriage  in  some  form.  None  in  the  form  instituted  by 
President  Young.  Sidney  Rigdon  had  one  form  practiced  by  but 
a  few,  and  that  spasmodically,  as  an  outburst  of  religious  fervor 
rather  than  as  a  settled  practice.  William  Smith  had  a  sort  of 
Priestess  Lodge,  in  which  it  was  alleged  there  was  a  manifesta- 
tion of  licentiousness.  This  he  denied,  and  I  never  had  actual 
proof  of  it.  Gladden  Bishop  taught  something  like  it,  but  I  be- 
lieve he  was  himself  the  only  practicer.  James  J.  Strang  had  a 
system  something  like  Mahomet,  four,  I  think,  being  allowed 
the  king.  Lyman  Wight  had  a  system,  but  it  had  no  very  ex- 
tended range.  President  Young's  system  you  may  know  of. 

On  the  polygamous  practices  of  various  factions,  "A 
Word  of  Consolation  to  the  Scattered  Saints,"  the  first 


1  The    following    are    the    wives    of    Brigham    Young,    married    before 
the  death  of  Joseph  Smith,  with  the  dates  of  their  marriage  and  decease: 

NAME.  MARRIAGE.  DEATH. 

Miriam  Works.  October  8,  1824.  September  8,   1832. 

Mary  Ann  Angell.  February   18,   1834.  June  27,   1882. 

Lucy  Decker.  June   15,   1842.  January  29,  1890. 

Harriett  E.  C.  Campbell.      November  2,   1843.  

Augusta  Adams.  November  2,   1843.  1886. 

Clara  Decker.  May  8,   1844.  January  5,   1885. 

In   all,    Brigham    Young    had    twenty-five    wives    and    fifty-six    children. 
Some  of  his  wives  were  sealed  to  him  by  Joseph   Smith  himself. 

8  "Blood   Atonement    and  the   Origin   of   Plural   Marriage,"    p.    59. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  195 

document  ever  issued  by  the  Reorganized  Church,  says: 

We  cannot  forego  this  opportunity  to  raise  our  voice  against 
an  evil  which  has  well  nigh  completed  the  overthrow  of  the 
Church: — which  Sampson  like  hath  lain  hold  upon  the  very  pil- 
lars of  society.  And  instead  of  order,  it  has  produced  anarchy, 
instead  of  union,  division;  in  short,  instead  of  confidence  and 
love,  distrust  and  hatred.  We  refer  to  the  system  of  spiritual 
wif  ery,  taught  by  Brigham  Young,  to  the  "plurality"  doctrines  of 
James  J.  Strang,  and  the  fouler  system  (of  whoredom)  taught 
by  William  Smith,  and  his  joint  occupant,  called  "Spokesman." 
These  systems  though  unlike  each  other  are  all  known  as  a  system 
of  polygamy:  under  which  they  themselves  take  shelter:  hence 
we  will  not  treat  them  under  their  proper  names,  but  under 
the  less  offensive  or  semi-legal  one,  viz. :  polygamy. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Beadle  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
system  of  spiritual  wif  ery  as  advocated  and  practiced  by 
Sidney  Rigdon  and  his  faction : 

Shortly  after  the  settlement  of  Nauvoo  also,  Sidney  Rigdon 
had  advanced  his  "spiritual-wife"  doctrine,  which  regular  Mor- 
mons now  denounce  as  the  great  mystery  of  abominations,  "sent 
by  the  devil  to  bring  dishonor  upon  the  true  order  of  celestial 
marriage."  Rigdon's  theory  of  "spiritual  wifery,"  as  reported  by 
old  Mormons,  was  as  follows: 

In  the  pre-existent  state  souls  are  mated,  male  and  female, 
as  it  is  divinely  intended  they  shall  fill  the  marriage  relation  in 
this  life;  or,  in  more  poetic  phrase,  "marriages  were  made  in 
heaven."  But  in  the  general  jumble  of  contradictions  and  cross- 
purposes  attending  man  in  this  state,  many  mistakes  have  been 
made  in  this  matter;  A.  has  got  the  woman  first  intended  for 
B.,  the  latter  has  got  C.'s  true  mate,  and  thus  on,  utterly  de- 
feating the  counsel  of  the  gods  in  the  pre-marriage  of  the 
spirits.  But  the  time  had  come  for  all  this  to  be  set  right,  and 
though  they  might  not  put  aside  their  present  wives,  which  would 
throw  society  somewhat  out  of  gear,  yet  Smith  might  in  addition, 
exercise  the  privileges  of  husband  toward  Brown's  wife  and 
vice  versa.  This  seems  to  have  been  merely  the  Mormon  version 
of  modern  "free-loveism,"  and  from  recent  evidence  it  is  quite 
probable  it  also  was  practiced  to  some  extent  in  Nauvoo,  thus 
making  polygamy  equally  free  to  men  and  women;  but  it  is 


196  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

quite  different,  in  theory  at  least,  from  the  present  "spiritual 
wifeism"  of  the  Mormons,  as  will  presently  appear. — Mysteries 
and  Crimes  of  Mormonism,  p.  340. 

The  connection  of  Lyman  Wight  and  his  faction  with 
polygamy  is  brought  out  in  the  following  interview  be- 
tween Elder  Brigham  H.  Roberts  and  Mr.  Gideon  Carter, 
who  was  formerly  a  member  of  Wight's  faction.  The 
statements  herein  given  were  sworn  to  by  Mr.  Carter 
before  J.  C.  Christy,  a  notary  public  in  and  for  San 
Bernardino  County,  California,  on  the  27th  of  February t 
1874: 

Question  by  B.  H.  Roberts:  Did  Lyman  Wight  teach  and 
practice  plural  marriage? 

Answer:  He  did.  I  remember  that  while  he  and  his  company 
were  stopping  at  Prairie  La  Crosse  in  the  fall  and  winter  of 
1844-45  Lyman  Wight's  son,  Orange  L.  Wight,  who  was  the 
husband  of  my  sister  Matilda,  married  a  plural  wife,  a  young 
lady  to  whom  he  had  been  engaged  before  marrying  my 
sister,  but  with  whom  he  had  broken  through  some  misunder- 
standing. I  understand  that  Lyman  Wight  performed  the  cere- 
mony. En  route  from  Texas  one  Joel  Miles  married  a  plural 
wife;  and  Lyman  Wight  himself,  before  we  arrived  in  Texas, 
also  married  a  plurd  wife;  and  I  remember  distinctly  that 
while  living  in  Texas  he  had  three  wives,  and  I  think  he  had 
four. 

Question  by  B.  H.  Roberts:  Mr.  Carter,  did  Lyman  Wight 
say  that  Joseph  Smith  taught  plural  marriage,  and  did  he  prac- 
tice it  by  virtue  of  the  prophet  Joseph  Smith  having  intro- 
duced it? 

Answer:  He  did.  He  said  that  he  saw  and  heard  read  the 
revelation  establishing  plural  marriage  before  Joseph  Smith's 
death.  I  have  heard  Lyman  Wight  relate  many  times  how 
Joseph  Smith  announced  the  revelation  to  his  brother  Hyrum. 
Hyrum  did  not  at  first  receive  it  with  favor.  His  whole  nature 
revolted  against  it.  He  said  to  Joseph  that  if  he  attempted  to 
introduce  the  practice  of  that  doctrine  as  a  tenet  of  the  Church 
it  would  break  up  the  Church  and  cost  him  his  life.  "Well," 
Joseph  replied,  "it  is  a  commandment  from  God,  Brother  Hyrum, 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  197 

and  if  you  don't  believe  it,  if  you  will  ask  the  Lord  He  will 
make  it  known  to  you."  The  matter  caused  Hyrum  much 
distress  and  anguish  of  heart,  he  well-nigh  sweat  blood  over  it, 
so  repugnant  was  it  to  his  feelings,  and  such  his  dread  of  seeing 
it  introduced  into  the  Church ;  but  he  inquired  of  God,  according 
to  Wight's  statement,  and  he  received  from  the  Lord  the  same 
revelation  that  Joseph  had — that  it  was  a  true  doctrine,  and  a 
commandment  from  God. 

That  revelation  was  made  known  to  some  of  the  Twelve 
before  Joseph  Smith's  death;  and  after  it  was  read  in  one  of  the 
council  meetings  with  some  of  the  Twelve.  Joseph  bore  testi- 
mony that  it  was  of  God,  and  that  it  was  a  principle  wherein 
there  was  wisdom,  truth  and  virtue,  and  capable  of  bringing 
great  good  to  the  world;  but  owing  to  the  sinfulness  of  men, 
and  their  weakness,  it  would  damn  more  men  than  it  would  save. 
This  is  the  explanation  that  Lyman  Wight  gave  for  the  existence 
of  polygamy  in  that  branch  of  the  church  over  which  he  held 
jurisdiction;  the  explanation  given  to  the  younger  members 
of  his  following  who  found  no  warrant  for  the  practice  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon  or  in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants. 

Lyman  Wight  also  said  that  Joseph  Smith  had  given  him 
authority  to  perform  these  plural  marriage  ceremonies  in  con- 
nection with  other  ceremonies  in  the  church.  Mr.  Wight,  to 
meet  the  inquiries  of  some  of  his  followers,  in  a  pamphlet  that 
was  gotten  out  published  what  purported  to  be  a  copy  of  the  reve- 
lation received  by  Joseph  Smith,  but  in  connection  with  it  there 
were  many '  rules  to  be  observed  by  those  entering  into  those 
plural  marriage  relations  which  I  do  not  find  in  the  revelation 
published  by  the  Mormons  in  Utah.  There  were  things  in  that 
revelation  that  caused  some  dissatisfaction,  and  the  pamphlets 
were  withdrawn  from  circulation  and  soon  afterwards  the 
practice  of  plural  marriage  in  what  may  be  called  his  branch 
of  the  Church  was  discontinued.  Mr.  Wight  gave  as  a  reason 
for  this  step  the  prejudice  of  the  world  against  it;  and  said 
the  people  were  not  pure  enough  to  live  up  to  that  order  of 
marriage.  After  this  there  were  no  more  plural  marriages  among 
his  followers,  though  those  who  had  already  entered  into  that 
order  maintained  the  wives  they  had  taken. 

Question  by  B.  H.  Roberts:  Did  Orange  L.  Wight  marry 
your  sister  Rizilla  as  his  third  wife? 


198  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

Answer:  He  did,  in  Galispia  County,  Texas,  in  1849. 

Question  by  B.  H.  Roberts:  What  relation  do  you  sustain 
to  the  Mormon  Church  in  Utah,  Mr.  Carter? 

Answer:  No  relation  whatever.  I  am  not  a  member  of  that 
Church.1 

The  connection  of  William  Smith  and  his  faction 
with  polygamy  has  been  conclusively  proved.  Three 
of  his  wives,  Priscilla,  Sarah  and  Hannah,  went  to  Utah 
with  the  Brighamites,  and  one  of  them  was  still  living  a 
few  years  ago.2  We  also  have  evidence  to  show  that 
he  advocated  the  doctrine  from  the  stand  at  Nauvoo 
shortly  after  his  brother's  death  and  that  he  introduced 
it  into  his  own  faction  as  a  tenet  of  faith  at  a  conference 
held  at  Palestine,  Lee  County,  Illinois,  in  October,  185 1.3 
It  was  the  latter  that  caused  Jason  W.  Briggs  to  leave 
his  faction. 

That  he  publicly  taught  polygamy,  soon  after  the 
death  of  Joseph,  is  proved  by  the  testimony  of  Cyrus  H. 
Wheelock  given  during  the  course  of  the  Temple-lot  Suit. 

I  never  heard  Joseph  Smith  teach  the  practice  of  polygamy 
from  the  stand;  never  heard  any  elder  of  the  church  preach 
it  publicly  from  the  stand  in  Nauvoo,  until  after  the  death  of 
Joseph  Smith.  After  Joseph  Smith  was  dead  I  heard  polygamy 
preached  from  the  pulpit  publicly  in  Nauvoo,  by  William  Smith. 


1  "Succession  in  the  Presidency  of  the  Church,"   pp.    122-125. 

a  "Blood  Atonement  and  the  Origin  of  Plural  Marriage,"  p.  58.  In 
the  celebrated  Temple-lot  Suit,  Mary  Ann  West  testified:  "I  was  married 
to  William  Smith  by  Brigham  Young;  there  was  nobody  but  William  Smith 
and  myself  present  at  the  time  of  the  marriage.  I  witnessed  one  other 
plural  marriage  to  William  Smith;  her  name  was  Mary  Jones.  Brigham 
Young  performed  that  ceremony;  nobody  was  present  that  I  remember  of." 
— Abstract,  pp.  379,  380.  Again:  "He  married  me  first,  then  married 
Mary  Jones,  and  then  a  young  girl  by  the  name  of  Priscilla  Morgridge. 
I  did  not  consent  to  either  one  of  the  marriages." — Ibid,  p.  382. 

8J.  W.  Briggs  says  of  the  introduction  of  polygamy  at  this  confer- 
ence: "October  6th  of  that  year  (1851)  they  threw  off  the  mask,  in  a 
council  called  at  Priests'  Lodge,  and  confessed  to  the  belief  in  and 
practice  of  polygamy  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." — Veil  Lifted,  p.  9. 


JAMES  J.    STRANG. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  199 

He  stated  a  great  many  things;  undertook  to  prove  that  polyg- 
amy was  right,  and  that  that  order  of  marriage  would  be 
restored,  and  he  preached  so  many  strange  things  there  to  the 
people  that  Elder  John  Taylor  got  up  and  corrected  him.  .  .  . 
Yes,  sir,  it  was  forbidden,  and  William  Smith  was  cut  off  from 
the  church  because  he  preached  that.  That  was  in  the  winter  of 
1844. — Abstract,  p.  384. 

The  faction  under  James  J.  Strang,  judging  by  their 
official  utterances,  did  not  take  up  polygamy  until  1848. 
Prior  to  that  time,  their  prophet  vehemently  denounced 
it  as  a  doctrine  and  practice  of  the  devil  and  pronounced 
a  curse  upon  the  heads  of  those  who  advocated  it.  In 
August,  1846,  at  a  conference  held  at  Kirtland,  Ohio, 
the  following  resolution  was  adopted : 

Resolved  unanimously.  That  we  utterly  disclaim  the  whole 
system  of  polygamy  known  as  the  spiritual  wife  system  lately 
set  up  in  Nauvoo,  by  the  apostates  (Brighamites)  who  claim 
the  authority  there,  and  will  neither  practice  such  things  nor 
hold  any  fellowship  with  those  that  teach  or  practice  such 
things. 

This  was  followed  in  July,  1847,  by  an  article  from 
the  pen  of  Strang,  entitled  "Polygamy  Not  Possible  in 
a  Free  Government,"  which  appeared  in  the  Strangite 
paper,  Zion's  Reveille,  and  during  the  same  year  a  number 
of  his  most  influential  followers  were  cut  off  for  holding 
this  doctrine. 

But,  in  1848,  Strang's  views  underwent  a  change  and 
he  became  a  polygamist,  claiming  to  have  received  a  reve- 
lation in  which  the  practice  was  enjoined  upon  him.  The 
report  goes  that  when  Strang  adopted  plural  marriage 
his  wife  left  him,  taking  with  her  their  three  children, 
and  that  he  traveled  over  the  country  on  his  proselyting 
tours  with  one  of  his  plural  wives,  to  whom  he  gave  the 
name  of  "Charles  Douglas,"  dressed  in  the  apparel  of 
a  man.  Strang  often  boasted  that  "Charlie"  was  the 


200  THE   TRUE    ORIGIN   OF 

best  missionary  he  had.  However,  when  Strang  was 
shot  and  it  was  told  him  that  he  must  die,  he  pleaded 
to  be  carried  home  to  his  first  wife,  "Mary."  This  was 
done,  and  it  is  said  she  forgave  him  all  and  that  he  died 
peacefully  in  her  arms. 

As  for  the  rest  of  the  factions,  I  have  not  the  data 
at  hand  from  which  to  speak,  but,  as  we  have  seen,  it  is 
admitted  by  the  President  of  the  Josephite  Church  that 
"nearly  all"  of  them  had  plural  marriage  in  some  form. 
Now,  as  all  of  the  original  Apostles  and  a  majority  of 
the  factions,  independent  of,  and  antagonistic  to,  one  an- 
other as  they  were,  taught  and  practiced  polygamy,  is 
it  not  natural  to  infer  that  they  obtained  this  doctrine 
from  the  same  fountain-head — the  teachings  of  the  Mor- 
mon Prophet  himself? 

THE  LEGAL  BATTLE  OVER  POLYGAMY. 

Polygamy  was  first  publicly  announced  as  a  doctrine 
of  the  Mormon  faith  on  the  2gth  day  of  August,  1852, 
at  a  meeting  held  in  the  tabernacle  at  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah.  At  the  morning  service,  Apostle  Orson  Pratt  de- 
livered a  lengthy  discourse  in  defense  of  the  doctrine, 
during  the  course  of  which  he  said: 

It  is  quite  unexpected  to  me,  brethren  and  sisters,  to  be 
called  upon  to  address  you  this  forenoon;  and  still  more  so, 
to  address  you  upon  the  principle  which  has  been  named,  namely, 
a  plurality  of  wives.  It  is  rather  new  ground  for  me;  that  is, 
I  have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  publicly  speaking  upon  this 
subject;  and  it  is  rather  new  ground  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
United  States,  and  not  only  to  them,  but  to  a  portion  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Europe;  a  portion  of  them  have  not  been  in  the 
habit  of  preaching  a  doctrine  of  this  description ;  consequently, 
we  shall  have  to  break  up  new  ground.  It  is  well  known, 
however,  to  the  congregation  before  me,  that  the  Latter  Day 
Saints  have  embraced  the  doctrine  of  a  plurality  of  wives,  as  a 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  201 

part  of  their  religious  faith. — Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  L,  p.  54. 
At  the  afternoon  session,  Brigham  Young  said : 

You  heard  Brother  Pratt  state,  this  morning,  that  a  Revela- 
tion would  be  read  this  afternoon  which  was  given  previous  to 
Joseph's  death.  It  contains  a  doctrine,  a  small  portion  of  the 
world  is  opposed  to;  but  I  can  deliver  a  prophecy  upon  it. 
Though  that  doctrine  has  not  been  preached  by  the  Elders, 
this  people  have  believed  in  it  for  many  years.  The  original 
copy  of  this  Revelation  was  burnt  up.  William  Clayton  was  the 
man  who  wrote  it  from  the  mouth  of  the  Prophet.  In  the  mean- 
time, it  was  in  Bishop  Whitney's  possession.  He  wished  the 
privilege  to  copy  it,  which  Brother  Joseph  granted.  Sister 
Emma  burnt  the  original.  The  reason  why  I  mention  this,  is, 
because  that  the  people  who  did  know  of  the  Revelation  sup- 
pose it  is  not  now  in  existence. 

The  revelation  will  be  read  by  you.  The  principle  spoken 
upon  by  Brother  Pratt,  this  morning,  we  believe  in.  And  I 
tell  you — for  I  know  it — it  will  sail  over,  and  ride  triumphantly 
above  all  the  prejudice  and  priest-craft  of  the  day;  it  will  be 
fostered  and  believed  in  by  the  more  intelligent  portions  of  the 
world,  as  one  of  the  best  doctrines  ever  proclaimed  to  any 
people.  .  .  .  This  Revelation  has  been  in  my  possession  many 
years;  and  who  has  known  it?  None  but  those  who  should 
know  it.  I  keep  a  patent  lock  on  my  desk,  and  there  does  not 
anything  leak  out  that  should  not. — Deseret  News,  Sept.  14, 
1852. 

How  dismally  this  prediction  has  failed,  is  well  known 
to  all  who  are  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  Mormon 
Church  in  Utah. 

With  the  public  promulgation  of  the  doctrine,  polyg- 
amy in  all  its  glory  was  ushered  in,  and  for  the  thirty 
years  following  was  practiced  without  much  effective 
opposition  from  the  Federal  Government. 

The  first  enactment  against  polygamy  was  in  the 
passage  of  the  Morrill  bill  through  Congress  in  1862, 
which  became  a  law  by  the  signature  of  President  Lin- 
coln in  July  of  that  year.  This,  however,  was  ignored 

(14) 


202  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

by  the  Mormon  people  under  the  plea  that  it  was  un- 
constitutional. 

It  was  followed  by  the  Poland  bill,  which  passed 
Congress  and  became  a  law  by  the  approval  of  President 
Grant  in  July,  1874.  Under  this  enactment,  a  test  case 
was  arranged  and  Elder  George  Reynolds  was  arrested 
on  the  charge  of  being  a  polygamist.  His  case  was  tried 
before  the  Third  District  Court  of  Salt  Lake  City  in 
March  and  April,  1875,  by  which  he  was  found  guilty 
and  was  sentenced  to  one  year  in  the  penitentiary  and 
to  pay  a  fine  of  $300.  The  case  was  then  appealed  to 
the  Supreme  Court  of  Utah,  by  which  he  was  discharged 
on  the  ground  that  the  grand  jury  that  had  found  the 
bill  of  indictment  against  him  was  illegal.  But,  on  No- 
vember I,  following,  Reynolds  was  again  arrested  and 
was  tried  on  the  pth  of  the  following  month,  with  the 
result  that  he  was  again  found  guilty.  An  appeal  was  then 
made  to  the  State  Supreme  Court,  which  on  July  6,  1876, 
confirmed  the  decision  of  the  lower  court.  Subsequent 
to  this,  the  case  was  carried  to  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court, 
which,  on  January  6,  1879,  unanimously  handed  down  a 
decision  confirming  the  constitutionality  of  the  law  against 
bigamy  and  polygamy  under  which  he  had  been  tried, 
and  on  the  I4th  of  June  he  was  resentenced  to  the 
penitentiary.1 

The  next  step  in  anti-polygamy  legislation  was  in  the 
passage  of  the  celebrated  Edmunds  act  of  March,  1882. 
Under  it,  there  were  twenty-two  hundred  convictions  for 
unlawful  cohabitation,  though  there  were  only  about  one- 
half  dozen  on  the  charge  of  polygamy,  which  was  more 
difficult  to  prove.  It  is  declared  that  during  these  trials 
Mormon  women,  believed  before  to  be  truthful  and  vir- 


^osephite  "Church  History,"  Vol.  III.,  p.  361. 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  203 

tuous,  went  on  the  stand  and  swore  that  they  did  not 
know  who  the  fathers  of  their  babes  were,  in  order  to 
shield  their  husbands  from  the  penalties  of  the  law  against 
bigamy  and  polygamy.  Under  the  Edmunds  act,  all 
persons  living  in  the  relations  mentioned  were  disfran- 
chised, and  it  is  estimated  that  fully  twelve  thousand 
names,  of  both  men  and  women,  were  stricken  from  the 
registration  rolls.  It  is  stated  that  at  this  time  there 
were  3,500  polygamous  families  in  Utah,  or  3,500  men 
living  with  11,500  women  in  the  polygamous  relation. 
Upon  Mormon  authority,  it  is  declared  that  the  number 
of  such  families  has  rapidly  decreased,  there  being  only 
897  such  families  in  1902  and  647  in  1903." 

So  zealously  were  the  laws  against  polygamy  and 
bigamy  executed  after  1882,  that  eight  years  later  the 
President  of  the  Brighamite  Church  issued  his  celebrated 
manifesto,  which,  as  it  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader, 
I  now  give: 

OFFICIAL   DECLARATION. 

To  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN  : — Press  dispatches  having  been 
sent  for  political  purposes,  from  Salt  Lake  City,  which  have 
been  widely  published,  to  the  effect  that  the  Utah  Commission, 
in  their  recent  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  allege 
that  plural  marriages  are  still  being  solemnized  and  that  forty 
or  more  such  marriages  have  been  contracted  in  Utah  since 
last  June  or  during  the  past  year;  also  that  in  public  discourses 
the  leaders  of  the  church  have  taught,  encouraged  and  urged 
the  continuance  of  the  practice  of  polygamy; 

I,  therefore,  as  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter  Day  Saints,  do  hereby,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  de- 
clare that  these  charges  are  false.  We  are  not  teaching  polygamy 
or  plural  marriage,  nor  permitting  any  person  to  enter  into  its 
practice,  and  I  deny  that  either  forty  or  any  other  number  of 
plural  marriages  have  during  that  period  been  solemnized  in  our 
temples  or  in  any  other  place  in  the  Territory. 


1  The    Edmunds    law    was    supplemented    in    1887    by    a    more    drastic 
measure  known  as  the   Edmunds-Tucker  act. 


204  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

One  case  has  been  reported,  in  which  the  parties  alleged 
that  a  marriage  was  performed  in  the  Endowment  House,  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  in  the  spring  of  1889,  but  I  have  not  been  able 
to  learn  who  performed  the  ceremony;  whatever  was  done  in 
the  matter  was  without  my  knowledge.  In  consequence  of  this 
alleged  occurrence  the  Endowment  House  was,  by  my  instruc- 
tions, taken  down  without  delay. 

Inasmuch  as  laws  have  been  enacted  by  Congress  forbid- 
ding plural  marriages,  which  laws  have  been  pronounced  con- 
stitutional by  the  court  of  last  resort,  I  hereby  declare  my  in- 
tention to  submit  to  those  laws,  and  to  use  my  influence  with 
the  members  of  the  church  over  which  I  preside  to  have  them 
do  likewise. 

There  is  nothing  in  my  teachings  to  the  church  or  in  those 
of  my  associates,  during  the  time  specified,  which  can  be  rea- 
sonably construed  to  inculcate  or  encourage  polygamy,  and  when 
any  elder  of  the  church  has  used  language  which  appeared  to 
convey  any  such  teaching,  he  has  been  promptly  reproved. 
And  I  now  publicly  declare  that  my  advice  to  the  Latter  Day 
Saints  is  to  refrain  from  contracting  any  marriage  forbidden 
by  the  law  of  the  land.  WILFORD  WOODRUFF, 

President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints. 

Following  this  official  announcement  of  the  head  of 
the  Mormon  Church  (which  was  also  sanctioned  by  a 
unanimous  vote  of  the  church  in  General  Conference 
assembled)  of  his  purpose  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  in- 
fluence his  people  to  live  up  to  the  laws  of  the  land, 
Benjamin  Harrison,  who  was  then  President  of  the 
United  States,  issued  a  proclamation  of  amnesty : 

I,  Benjamin  Harrison,  President  of  the  United  States,  by 
virtue  of  the  power  in  me  vested,  do  hereby  declare  and  grant 
full  amnesty  and  pardon  to  all  persons  liable  to  the  penalties 
of  said  act,  by  reason  of  unlawful  cohabitation  under  color  of 
polygamous  or  plural  marriage,  who  since  November  i,  1890, 
have  abstained  from  such  unlawful  cohabitation,  but  upon  the 
express  condition  that  they  shall  in  future  faithfully  obey  the 
laws  of  the  United  States  hereinabove  named,  and  not  otherwise. 
Those  who  shall  fail  to  avail  themselves  of  the  clemency  hereby 
offered  will  be  vigorously  prosecuted. 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  205 

Since  1890,  the  Mormon  people  have  made  a  show 
of  living  up  to  the  law  of  the  land,  and  when  Utah  be- 
came a  State  a  constitution  was  adopted,  by  which  polyg- 
amy is  forever  abolished,  which  received  the  support  of 
the  church  leaders.  But  just  how  far  they  have  been 
law-abiding,  has  been  shown  by  the  facts  that  were 
brought  out  during  the  Roberts  and  Reed  Smoot  cases. 
During  the  first,  it  was  plainly  brought  out  that  Mr. 
Roberts  had  been  guilty  of  living  in  the  polygamous  re- 
lation after  1890,  and,  during  the  latter,  it  was  proved 
by  the  admissions  of  President  Joseph  F.  Smith,  him- 
self, that  he  had  had  eleven  children  by  his  five  wives 
after  that  date.  It  is  also  declared  that  Apostles  Can- 
non and  Teasdale  have  taken  plural  wives  since  the  man- 
ifesto was  issued,  while  the  sudden  disappearance  of  some 
of  the  church  officials  from  their  homes  in  order  to  es- 
cape appearing  before  the  Smoot  Committee,  strengthens 
the  suspicion  that  there  are  others,  also,  who  are  guilty 
of  similar  conduct.1  It  is  evident  from  these  flagrant 
violations  of  their  pledges  and  the  law  of  the  land,  that 
the  Mormon  word  of  honor  is  not  to  be  depended 
upon. 

THEORETICAL    POLYGAMY. 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  the  theory  of  polygamy, 
as  it  was  advocated  in  Utah  after  1852,  drew  its  in- 


1  According  to  the  evidence  produced  in  the  Smoot  case,  the  following 
prominent  Mormons  married  plural  wives  after  the  Manifesto  of  1890: 
Apostle  Abraham  H.  Cannon  to  Lillian  Hamlin  in  1896;  Apostle  George 
Teasdale  to  Marion  Scholes;  Apostles  Cowley  and  Taylor  to  one  or  more 
plural  wives  each;  James  Francis  Johnson  to  Clara  Mabel  Barber  in  1896; 
and  Apostle  M.  W.  Merrill,  J.  M.  Tanner,  superintendent  of  church 
schools,  Benjamin  Cluff,  president  of  Brigham  Young  University,  besides 
many  more. — Proceedings  before  the  Committee  on  Privileges  and  Elec- 
tions of  the  U.  S,  Senate  in  the  matter  of  the  protests  against  the  right  of 
Hon.  Reed  Smoot,  a  Senator  from  the  State  of  Utah,  to  hold  his  seat 
(Vol.  IV.,  pp.  476-478). 


20G  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

spiration  and  form  from  the  "Revelation  on  Celestial  Mar- 
riage." This  "Revelation"  presents  two  new  and  unique 
theories  relating  to  marriage,  that  a  man  may  have  more 
wives  than  one  in  the  present  dispensation  and  that  mar- 
riage contracts  made  here  may  be  perpetuated  for  all 
eternity.  The  first  is  termed  a  plurality  of  wives;  the 
second,  spiritual  wifery.  The  additional  information  is 
also  given,  that  those  who  are  married  for  time  only  will 
not  attain  to  the  fullest  glory,  become  gods,  in  the  world 
to  come,  but  will  only  be  angels  to  minister  unto  those 
who  have  entered  their  exaltation. 

In  order  to  sustain  the  doctrine  of  celestial  marriage, 
the  Mormon  Church  appeals  to  the  Old  Testament,  citing 
the  cases  of  Abraham,  Jacob,  David  and  other  men  who 
were  polygamists,  but  who  were  favored  of  the  Lord. 
They  argue  that,  as  Abraham  was  a  polygamist  and 
as  the  blessings  of  Abraham  were  to  come  upon  the 
Gentiles,  one  of  them  to  be  bestowed  was  a  plurality 
of  wives.  They  also  tell  us  that  the  prophet  Isaiah  had 
in  mind  the  introduction  of  this  principle  in  the  last 
days,  when  he  said :  "And  in  that  day  seven  women  shall 
take  hold  of  one  man,  saying,  We  will  eat  our  own 
bread,  and  wear  our  own  apparel:  only  let  us  be  called 
by  thy  name,  to  take  away  our  reproach"  (Isa.  4:1). 

It  is  also  asserted  that  the  New  Testament  sanctions 
polygamy.  Those  passages  which,  to  the  ordinary  reader, 
teach  monogamy,  to  the  Mormon  teach,  simply,  that  men 
should  enter  the  marriage  relation.  Thus,  Paul's  in- 
junction to  Timothy,  "A  bishop  then  must  be  blameless, 
the  husband  of  one  wife"  (i  Tim.  3:2),  is  made  to  mean 
that  a  bishop  should  be  the  husband  of  one  wife  at  least, 
not  the  husband  of  one  wife  only. 

But  the  most  repugnant  claim  that  Monnonism  makes, 
is  that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  polygamist.  Apostle  Orson 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  207 

Hyde,  during  the  course  of  one  of  his  sermons,  declared 
that  the  marriage  at  Cana  of  Galilee,  at  which  Christ  per- 
formed his  first  miracle,  was  his  own,  at  which  he  be- 
came the  husband  of  Martha  and  Mary.  "We  say  it  was 
Jesus  Christ  who  was  married,  whereby  he  could  see  his 
seed  before  he  was  crucified."  This  reference  is  to  Isa. 
53:  10:  "When  thou  shalt  make  his  soul  an  offering  for 
sin,  he  shall  see  his  seed,  he  shall  prolong  his  days,  and 
the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  shall  prosper  in  his  hand."  But 
here  the  prophet,  evidently,  has  in  mind  Christ's  spiritual 
seed,  not  babes  begotten  by  the  ordinary  course  of  gen- 
eration. 

The  Mormon  priesthood  claims  to  get  its  authority 
for  performing  marriages  for  eternity  from  the  words  of 
Christ :  "And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth, 
shall  be  bound  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose 
on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven"  (Matt.  16:  19). 

It  explains  Christ's  language,  "They  which  shall  be 
accounted  worthy  to  obtain  that  world,  and  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead,  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage,"  to  mean  only  that  there  will  not  be  any  mar- 
riage contracts  made  in  the  world  to  come,  though  those, 
they  say,  which  have  already  been  entered  into  may  con- 
tinue. Bancroft  Library 

So,  by  a  misapplication  of  Scripture,  this  most  de- 
basing and  disgusting  practice  is  clothed  with  divine 
sanction,  forcibly  bringing  to  our  minds  the  words  of 
Shakespeare : 

"In  religion, 

What  damned  error,  but  some  sober  brow 
Will  bless  it  and  approve  it  with  a  text, 
Hiding  the  grossness  with  fair  ornament." 


208  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

PRACTICAL   POLYGAMY. 

The  Mormon  Church  declares  that  plural  marriage 
is  a  most  holy  institution  and  that,  when  the  divine  rules 
governing  it  are  lived  up  to,  it  can  only  be  productive 
of  good  here  and  happiness  in  the  world  to  come.  It 
charges  that  the  stories  which  have  been  circulated 
against  this  system  are  false,  and  that  on  the  whole  it 
has  proved  acceptable  to  those  who  have  adopted  it.  On 
the  contrary,  apostates  and  Gentiles,  alike,  condemn  it  in 
the  strongest  terms,  denouncing  it  as  the  most  debasing, 
heart-breaking  and  soul-crushing  religious  institution 
known  to  America,  and  declare  that  its  tyranny  was  sub- 
mitted to,  largely,  for  fear  of  losing  celestial  glory.  That 
some  of  the  Mormon  women,  also,  have  shared  this 
opinion,  is  proved  from  the  spirited  language  of  a  daugh- 
ter of  President  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  "Polygamy  is  alright 
when  properly  carried  out — on  a  shovel." 

One  of  the  most  distressing  concomitants  of  this 
system  was  incest.  Men,  in  their  rush  for  plural  wives, 
married  their  own  half-sisters,  nieces  and  first  cousins, 
or  two  sisters,  or  a  mother  and  her  daughter  or  daugh- 
ters. Two  of  Brigham  Young's  wives,  Clara  and  Lucy 
Decker,  were  sisters.  William  Hepworth  Dixon,  who 
was  one  of  the  few  Gentiles  to  whom  Brigham  expressed 
himself  on  the  subject,  says  in  his  "New  America" : 

Perhaps  it  would  not  be  too  much  to  say  that  in  the  Mormon 
code  there  is  no  such  crime  as  incest,  and  that  a  man  is  prac- 
tically free  to  woo  and  wed  any  woman  who  may  take  his 
eye.  ...  It  is  known  that  in  some  of  these  saintly  harems,  the 
female  occupants  stand  to  their  lords  in  closer  relationship  of 
blood  than  the  American  law  permits.  It  is  a  daily  event  in  Salt 
Lake  City  for  a  man  to  wed  two  sisters,  a  brother's  widow,  and 
even  a  mother  and  daughter.  In  one  house  in  Utah  may  be 
seen  the  spectacle  of  three  women  who  stand  toward  each  other 
in  the  relation  of  child,  mother  and  grand-dame,  living  in  one 


MORMON   POLYGAMY  209 

man's  harem  as  his  wives!  I  asked  the  President  (Young) r 
whether,  with  his  new  lights  on  the  virtue  of  breeding  in  and  in, 
he  saw  any  objection  to  the  marriage  of  brother  and  sister. 
Speaking  for  himself,  not  for  the  Church,  he  said  he  saw  none 
at  all. — Quoted  in  Beadle,  pp.  369,  371. 

Another  debasing  feature  of  the  Mormon  polygamous 
system  was  that  it  begot  disrespect  for  womanhood  and 
childhood.  During  the  early  days  of  the  practice  in 
Utah,  men,  in  their  eagerness  to  get  wives,  traded  daugh- 
ters with  the  same  cold-blooded  spirit  that  they  mani- 
fested in  trading  horses.  Heber  C.  Kimball,  who  had 
forty-five  wives,  was  wont  to  speak  of  them,  lovingly,  as 
his  "cows;"  while  Brigham  Young  said  of  his  children: 
"I  pay  no  attention  to  the  children,  but  leave  that  to 
their  mothers,  according  to  the  law  of  nature.  The  bull 
pays  no  attention  to  his  calves."  A  young  Mormon 
woman,  after  marrying  a  Gentile,  said:  "I  don't  know 
half  a  dozen  men  here  who  really  respect  their  wives.  It  is 
a  constant  wonder  to  us,  the  way  the  Gentiles  treat  their 
women." 

With  such  a  system,  it  will  not  be  easy  to  make 
people  believe  that  everything  was  as  lovely  in  the  polyg- 
amous homes  in  Utah  as  the  Mormons  have  tried  to 
make  it  appear.  No  true  woman,  who  has  experienced 
the  sweet  sensations  of  love,  will  be  made  to  believe  their 
stories.  As  long  as  human  nature  is  human  nature, 
polygamy  will  be  viewed  by  right-thinking  men  and 
women  as  cruel,  debasing  and  unjust.  And,  no  matter 
how  hard  the  Mormons  may  try  to  tone  down  its  glaring 
faults  or  touch  up  its  feeble  virtues,  if  it  has  any,  the 
human  heart  will  cry  out  against  it  unless  the  tender 
principle  of  love  is  made  the  servile  slave  of  a  fear  of 
the  loss  of  celestial  glory. 

That  Mormon  women,  themselves,  have   found  this 


210  THE   TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

system  a  galling  yoke  and  an  intolerable  burden,  is 
proved,  beyond  doubt,  by  several  statements  on  the  sub- 
ject which  appear  in  Mormon  works. 

Helen  Mar  Whitney,  the  enthusiastic  advocate  of  this 
doctrine  among  Mormon  women,  makes  this  confession: 

In  my  younger  days,  in  the  early  scenes  of  trial  and  tempta- 
tion, I  thought  that  I  would  be  perfectly  happy  if  the  plural-wife 
system  could  be  relinquished.  I  felt  unwilling  to  sacrifice  my 
earthly  happiness  for  the  promise  of  future  reward. — Plural  Mar- 
riage, p.  37. 

President  J.  M.  Grant,  as  reported  in  the  Deseret 
News,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  235,  said  of  the  rebellion  of  the  Mor- 
mon women  against  polygamy : 

And  we  have  women  here  who  like  anything  but  the  celestial 
law  of  God;  and  if  they  could,  would  break  asunder  the  cable 
of  the  Church  of  Christ;  there  is  scarcely  a  mother  in  Israel 
but  would  do  it  this  day.  And  they  talk  it  to  their  husbands, 
to  their  daughters,  and  to  their  neighbors ;  and  say  they  have 
not  seen  a  week's  happiness  since  they  became  acquainted  with 
that  law,  or  since  their  husbands  took  a  second  wife. 

But  Brigham,  in  his  own  rough,  crude  way,  tells  the 
story  of  how  the  women  of  Utah  felt  over  polygamy: 

Now  for  my  proposition ;  it  is  more  particularly  for  my  sis- 
ters, as  it  is  frequently  happening  that  women  say  they  are 
unhappy.  Men  will  say:  "My  wife,  though  a  most  excellent 
woman,  has  not  seen  a  happy  day  since  I  took  my  second  wife; 
no,  not  a  happy  day  for  a  year,"  says  one ;  and  another  has  not 
seen  a  happy  day  for  five  years.  It  is  said  that  women  are  tied 
down  and  abused ;  that  they  are  misused,  and  have  not  the  lib- 
erty they  ought  to  have;  that  many  of  them  are  wading  through 
a  perfect  flood  of  tears,  because  of  the  conduct  of  some  men, 
together  with  their  own  folly. — Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  IV., 
P-  55- 

Again : 

Now  recollect  that  two  weeks  from  tomorrow,  I  am  going 
to  set  you  at  liberty.  But  the  first  wife  will  say:  "It  is  hard, 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  211 

for  I  have  lived  with  my  husband  twenty  years  or  thirty,  and 
have  raised  a  family  of  children  for  him,  and  it  is  a  great  trial 
to  me  for  him  to  have  more  women."  Then  I  say  it  is  time 
that  you  gave  him  up  to  other  women  who  will  bear  children. 
If  my  wife  has  borne  me  all  the  children  that  she  ever  would 
bear,  the  celestial  law  would  teach  me  to  take  young  women 
that  would  have  children.  .  .  .  Sisters,  I  am  not  joking;  I  do 
not  throw  out  my  proposition  to  banter  your  feelings  to  see 
whether  you  will  leave  your  husbands,  all  or  any  of  you.  But 
I  do  know  that  there  is  no  cessation  to  the  everlasting  whining 
of  many  of  the  women  in  this  Territory.  And  if  the  women 
turn  from  the  commandments  of  God  and  continue  to  despise  the 
order  of  heaven,  I  will  pray  that  the  curse  of  the  Almighty 
may  be  close  to  their  heels,  and  that  it  may  be  following  them 
all  the  day  long.  And  those  that  enter  into  it  and  are  faithful, 
I  will  promise  them  that  they  shall  be  queens  in  heaven,  and  rulers 
to  all  eternity. — Journal  of  Discourses,  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  56,  57. 

As  these  quotations  are  taken  from  the  published 
works  of  the  Mormon  Church,  they  can  not  be  denied. 
In  a  leaflet,  "Are  Mormon  Women  Happy  in  Polyg- 
amy?", Mrs.  A.  G.  Paddock  gives  the  following  account: 

Mrs.  H came  to  Utah  a  devout  Mormon.  When  her 

husband  decided  to  take  another  wife,  she  accompanied  him  to 
the  Endowment  House,  as  the  cruel  law  of  "celestial  marriage" 
commands,  but  when  Brigham  Young  asked  the  prescribed  ques- 
tion: 

"Do  you  give  this  woman  to  your  husband,  even  as  Sarah 
gave  Hagar  to  Abraham?"  she  answered: 

"Yes  and  No." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  such  an  answer?"  the  Prophet  de- 
manded. 

"I  mean  yes,  if  he  cannot  go  into  the  presence  of  his  God 
without  this  sacrifice  on  my  part;  but  if  I  consult  my  own  heart, 
No,  NO!  a  thousand  times  NO!" 

She  says,  "On  my  way  home  from  the  Endowment  House 
that  day,  I  fainted  three  times;  yet,  so  determined  was  I  to  do 
my  whole  duty,  that  I  welcomed  the  new  bride  to  my  house,  as  a 
sister — but,  oh!  the  martyrdom  of  the  weeks  that  followed.  At 
last,  when  on  the  verge  of  madness  and  suicide,  I  thought — "I 


212  THE    TRUE   ORIGIN   OF 

will  know  whether  the  fault  is  in  the  system,  or  in  my  own  re- 
bellious heart;  I  will  go  to  those  who  are  wiser  and  better  than 
I,  and  learn  whether  they  have  become  reconciled  to  such  a 
life.  Accordingly,  I  paid  a  visit  to  two  of  the  Prophet's  plural 
wives,  to  whom  we  were  always  taught  to  apply  for  counsel." 

One  of  them  said :  "I  have  shed  tears  enough  since  I  have 
been  in  polygamy  to  drown  myself  in  twice  over."  The  other 
said :  "The  plains,  from  the  Missouri  to  this  valley,  are  strewed 
with  the  bones  of  those  whom  this  system  has  killed,  and  the 
cemetery  on  the  hill  is  full  of  them,  but  every  one  of  these 
women  is  now  wearing  a  martyr's  crown." 

Miserable  comforters,  truly.  But  I  thought  I  would  make  one 

more  trial.  I  went  to  Brother  C 's.  This  was  called  a  model 

polygamous  family.  The  two  wives  were  said  to  live  together 
like  the  most  affectionate  sisters.  I  called  on  the  first  wife ; 

told  her  how  I  felt,  and  asked :  "Sister  C ,  is  the  fault  in  our 

religion,  or  in  my  own  wicked  heart?  Are  you  happy  in 
polygamy?" 

She  replied:  "I  have  never  seen  a  happy  day  or  hour  since 
my  husband's  second  marriage ;  I  have  never  laid  down  on  my 
bed  at  night  without  drenching  my  pillow  with  tears." 

"But  perhaps  the  second  wife  feels  differently,"  I  said. 

"You  can  ask  her.     She  is  in  the  next  room." 

I  did  so,  and  this  was  her  reply:  "For  the  sake  of  peace, 
I  have  given  up  everything.  I  have  no  longer  a  single  right, 
either  as  woman  or  wife.  If  it  had  not  been  for  my  child,  I 
would  have  ended  my  troubles  by  throwing  myself  into  the  river 
long  before  this." 

"No  comfort  or  help  here,"  but  deliverance  was  near,  though 
I  knew  it  not.  I  used  to  go  down  into  my  cellar  to  pray,  and 
there,  with  my  burning  forehead  pressed  against  the  cold  stones, 
I  would  plead  that  my  rebellious  will  might  be  subdued;  but  the 
more  I  prayed  the  worse  I  felt;  the  more  it  seemed  that  if  God 
had  laid  such  an  intolerable  burden  on  women,  he  must  be  a 
cruel  tyrant  instead  of  a  kind  Father.  At  last,  one  day  when  I 
was  praying,  these  words  came  to  me,  as  distinctly  as  though 
a  human  voice  had  spoken  them  in  my  ear: 

"My  child,  it  is  man,  not  God,  who  has  laid  this  cruel  burden 
upon  you." 

From  that  moment  I  was  free.     I  no  longer  prayed  to  be 


MORMON  POLYGAMY  213 

reconciled    to    polygamy,    but    fought    against    it    with    all    the 
strength  of  my  soul. 

This,  reader,  is  only  one  of  hundreds  of  such  ex- 
periences with  this  hope-blighting,  soul-crushing  and 
•^art-breaking  doctrine  and  practice. 

By  way  of  a  summary,  in  bringing  this  book  to  a 
close,  let  me  say  that  if  human  testimony  is  to  be  de- 
pended upon  and  if  circumstantial  evidence  has  any 
weight,  we  have  proved  the  following  points : 

1.  That  Joseph  Smith  Was  born  and  reared  in  the 
atmosphere  that  produces  impostors,  knaves  and  liber- 
tines. 

2.  That  the  many  and  persistent  reports  of  immoral 
conduct  among  the  Mormons  in  the  '30*5  justify  the  in- 
ference, strengthened  into  a  belief  by  subsequent  devel- 
opments, that  they  were  guilty  of  some  form  of  sexual 
sin  at  Kirtland  and  in  Missouri. 

3.  That  Joseph   Smith   did  both   secretly  teach  and 
practice  polygamy  while  at  Nauvoo,  and  that  it  was  this 
doctrine  and  practice  that  helped  to  bring  about  his  as- 
sassination.   And 

4.  That  there  was  a  revelation  on  celestial  marriage 
at  Nauvoo  which  was  read  before  the  High  Council  and 
which,  in  a  number  of  respects,  was  identical  with  the 
"Revelation    on    Celestial    Marriage"    which    the    Utah 
Church  declares  came  from  Joseph  Smith. 

In  the  face  of  these  facts,  who  dare  say -that  Joseph 
Smith,  the  Mormon  Prophet,  was  not  the  father  of  Mor- 
mon polygamy? 

THE   END. 


I 


